


Tweek Tweak: The Extraterrestrial

by galetron



Category: South Park
Genre: 3rd person pov, Alien Tweek Tweak, Angst, Children cursing like sailors, Humor, Inspired by ET but I’m not faithfully following the plot of the movie, I’ll add more tags as they come up, M/M, South Park in 1982, parental neglect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2020-10-16 23:47:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20611379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galetron/pseuds/galetron
Summary: Tweek Tweak is a young alien trying his best to support his family’s interplanetary coffee business when he gets stranded on Earth by his less that stellar parents. Craig Tucker is a misunderstood fourth grader who wishes he could disappear into the stars instead of being labeled the class disappointment. When the two boys happen to find each other, they end up on a journey that’s greater than anything they could have imagined. Little do they know that there are greater forces at work, and their meeting is more than just fate.





	1. Prologue

Prologue  
September 1982

Deep in the mountains of Colorado is a quiet little mountain town called South Park. From the outside, it looked like a stereotypical small town, full of family owned businesses and neighborly people. Though, just like any other rural town, it was also full of secrets. There were scandals and mishaps aplenty there, but there was only one secret that hadn’t been discovered by the townspeople.

Above the canopy of the trees hovered a small spacecraft, being operated by a humanoid alien.  
She was middle aged, with brown hair and two small antennae that poked through her hair. She attempted to peer through the windows of her ship to spot her family below, but was unable to see them through the trees. 

On the ground, not far from their ship, two others were picking beans from strange plants that seemed to give off a green glow. The taller man, Richard Tweak, was standing behind his son as he watched him pick the beans and put them in a large bag. The boy was trying to go as quickly as possible, but occasionally he’d twitch and drop several beans, shrieking as he gathered more. 

“We need to do this all quickly now, son. Quick, like a comet soaring past your ship on a brisk night, bursting with life and inspiration-“

“Ahhhh! Stop talking!” The boy cried, dropping the beans in his hands to the ground to pull at his blonde hair. 

“Alright, Tweek, just remember if you don’t pick enough, we’ll have to sell you into slavery.” The man laughed. His son let out another shriek and continued picking frantically. He was never sure if he meant it or not. 

It was quiet for a few minutes, save for the frantic picking and whining. His father smirked, praising himself internally for thinking to put his secret coffee plants on an entirely different planet from their own just to keep the Tweak Signature Roast a secret, when he heard a branch snap behind him. 

He turned slowly to see a tall man with a flashlight in his hands staring at him. Neither of them spoke for a moment, each taking the other in and processing. Finally, he spoke.

“Uh, hi, there? I’m looking for my son, have you seen him?” He held out a photo. 

Richard didn’t even glance at it before turning and taking off at a full sprint, leaving the other man and his son behind. The man gaped after him, clearly at a loss. 

Tweek didn’t notice the other man staring at him until he finally spoke up. “What about you, kid, please? He’s my boy and I just want him home.” The man pleaded, and Tweek stared at him with wide eyes, studying him for a moment. He had red hair receding on his head, and though he was large in stature, he didn’t actually frighten Tweek. His words stuck out to Tweek as well - his parents had lost him several times so he completely understood the fear and anxiety in the man's eyes. With that in mind, he stepped closer to get a better look at the photo. 

It was of a boy of around ten, wearing a blue hat with a yellow puff ball on top. He had bright blue eyes and a deadpan expression, his middle finger held straight at the camera. Tweek shook his head, continuing to study the image. 

The man looked disappointed but not surprised. “Well, if you happen to see him on your way to town, will you bring him back with you?” He asked, and Tweek nodded. “Thanks. I don’t think I’ve seen you around town before, did you just move here?” Tweek remained silent. “What’re those sticking out of your hair, are you wearing a costume?”

Oh shit, Tweek needed to run. He turned and grabbed the bag of coffee beans before he took off after his father, hoping the other man wouldn’t be offended. He ran and ran until he reached a clearing with long grass and flowers. This was his family’s meeting spot, and the easiest place to land the ship when they needed to. 

Tweek felt his nerves heightening as he noticed how dark and quiet the area was. He looked up at the sky but he didn’t see their ship anywhere. He started shaking as he approached an oddly flat boulder on the outside edge of the meadow and sat there. This had happened before, occasionally they’d leave in a rush and forget Tweek. He was used to it. 

The longer he sat on the stump, however, the more anxious he got, picking at his fingers and playing with loose threads. He could tell when too much time had passed because the sun was starting to light up the sky in oranges and pinks. It wasn’t until it was high up in the sky that he accepted it. 

They weren’t coming back for him


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig

Craig Tucker was seriously over this bullshit. 

He was seated outside the counselor’s office for the second time that day. This wasn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence, he ended up on this exact bench almost every day for three years, but this time it really hadn’t been his fault! 

They’d been in the middle of a rather dull history lesson from his teacher, Mr. Garrison, who was writing dates on the board as he lectured. While he was doing that, the boy behind him, Eric Cartman, threw his pencil at the back of his head, which it bounced off and clattered to the floor. 

Mr. Garrison whirled around, completely furious. “Who did that?” He demanded. 

“It was Craig, I saw him do it!” Cartman answered, his tone sickly sweet. 

Craig protested immediately, his voice still it’s normal deadpan. “No I didn’t.”

“Yeah you did, Craig, you liar!” Cartman was sneering, his eyes malicious. 

“I saw him too, Mr. Garrison, sir. Craig threw it.” A small blonde boy named Butters chimed in. He winced when Craig glared at him. 

“No he didn’t, Mr. Garrison! Cartman did! They’re lying!” Clyde Donovan chimed in furiously from beside him. It was times like these Craig appreciated his best friend the most. 

“Craig Tucker! Counselor’s office, now!” Garrison snapped. 

Clyde stood up beside him. “Are you serious, Mr. Garrison? He really didn’t do it!”

“You’d better sit down unless you’d like to join him, Mr. Donovan!” Mr. Garrison warned, and Craig shot his friend a look that said he didn’t have to do it, it was okay. Clyde returned to his seat, still grumbling. 

He’d flipped Garrison off as he left the room, and that was how he ended up outside of Mackey’s office. He tipped his head back until it rested against the wall behind him. It frustrated him that he had such a bad reputation among the teachers that they’d blame him for any incident. It didn’t help that he was struggling in several of his classes, so his teachers wrote him off as a hopeless cause. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t find their lessons interesting. They never delved into topics Craig would actually care about, like outer space or ancient history. He liked math, he was actually pretty good at it, other than fractions. Fractions had resulted in fights with his teachers everytime, and seemed to consume more and more of the school year. 

“Alright, Craig, c’mon in and have a seat, m’kay?” Mr. Mackey, a man with an oddly large head and nasal voice, said to Craig as he leaned out his door. Craig rolled his eyes as he stood to follow him inside and sit in one of the chairs in front of Mackey’s desk. 

Mr. Mackey was an older, balding man with tiny glasses and a nervous disposition. Craig found him irritating, but he knew if he kept his mouth shut he should make it out with just a detention. He couldn’t give them anything to work with because it would only make the situation worse, in his experience. Better to keep quiet and take whatever it was they were giving him. 

“M’kay, Craig, do you know why you were sent here today?” 

Yeah, because my teacher blames everything he can on me even though it’s always Cartman’s fault, Craig thought, but out loud he said nothing and simply shrugged. Mackey sighed. “I know things may seem unfair to you-“ No shit. “-and that you may feel as though you’re being singled out, but that’s just not true, m’kay?” 

Craig clenched his jaw and continued to say nothing. Mackey could assume whatever he wanted about him, but Craig wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. He knew he was being singled out - Cartman made racist remarks and cursed through nearly every lesson since preschool and had never been disciplined. Especially after the incident with the Tenorman boy, when all the adults grew to find him terrifying instead of annoying. Craig didn’t go out of his way to make trouble like that. He occasionally got into fights and flipped off every authority figure he came into contact with, but he’d never do something that cruel. 

“M’kay, Craig, I’m afraid if you’re not going to respond to me, I’ll have to suspend you for insubordination.”

He felt as though his stomach dropped within him. Detentions he could get away with, both his parents didn’t arrive home until after five so he always managed to sneak home in time to delete the inevitable message the school had left about it. Plus it gave him time to focus on his homework with no distractions. He wouldn’t be able to hide a suspension, his mom didn’t start work at the bank until nine A.M. She’d notice right away if he stayed home. 

“Just try and explain what’s going on with you to me and we can sort all of this out, m’kay?” He almost sounded like he was pleading with the boy. 

Craig could feel his frustration and anxiety rolling around inside of him, as if battling for dominance but with neither side able to win. Part of him wanted to lay it all out for Mackey, that he was sick of all the adults treating him like a monster when he was just a child, that he was sick of being treated like he was stupid when he needed to process information differently, that he had never felt more isolated from his friends or family, that he was more logical and had more common sense than any of the adults in this stupid town...but no one would listen to him even if he did explain all of that. They’d still just see Craig, the slow delinquent. 

Mackey sighed again. “M’kay, I’m afraid you are suspended, Craig. If you’ll just wait here while I call your parents-“ 

Craig was up out of his seat with his backpack on and halfway down the hall before he heard Mackey call, “Get back here, m’kay?” He didn’t listen to the man, and flipped him off as he continued sprinting down the halls through the main doors and out into the woods. He ran past Stark’s Pond, and the bench he liked to sit and watch the stars from with his dad. He kept running, past the towns notice board by the pond, until the path ended and he continued running into the forest, a more secluded destination in mind. 

He’d happened upon the meadow beyond the pond almost a year ago. He didn’t go there often, but no one besides him knew it was there, so it was an excellent place to go when he didn’t want to see or speak to anyone. 

He ran for a few more minutes before finally bursting into the clearing. Carefully, he hung his bag on a lower branch of the tree that was beside him, noting the odd boulder as a landmark for where he entered before he moved further into the clearing. There was a large stump in the exact center of the meadow that was large enough for him to lie across and stare up at the sky. When he finally reached the stump, he collapsed back against it and closed his eyes. 

He relaxed against the wood, letting his body sag into it, content to stare up at the clouds. In truth, he needed to come up with a plan, because he was going to be in so much trouble when he got home. They haven’t been in school for a month but he’s already in the most trouble he’s been in yet. He could try explaining that Cartman framed him to his parents, which they would probably believe based on the fact that they’d forbidden him from hanging out with Cartman after an incident where he ended up in Peru, but even if they did believe him, it didn’t change the fact that he was still suspended. He decided to try not to focus on it for now and instead started listing famous constellations in alphabetical order. 

Andromeda  
Boötes  
Cepheus  
Draco  
Eridanus  
Fornax  
Gemini  
Hercules...

He continued like that until he eventually fell asleep, his hat pulled low over his eyes. 

He woke up several hours later, leaping to his feet when he realized how dark it was. He’d been out so long the sun was starting to rise. His parents were going to be furious, he’d be lucky if they didn’t send him to live with his aunt and uncle to work on their farm while he was suspended. A shudder ran through him just thinking of shoveling manure. He sprinted across the clearing, through the tall grass and flowers and towards the tree where he’d left his bag, past the weird flat boulder he noticed earlier. 

Then someone started screaming. 

Craig jerked around, twisting to find the source of the sound. It was a small boy, with wild blonde hair and large green eyes staring at him in terror from where he was hiding on top of the rock. At least, he initially thought he was a boy, but quickly Craig noticed what looked like two small antennae poking out of his hair and that his skin was also a light tint of green. 

“Hey, dude, didn’t mean to freak you out.” Craig held up his hands to show he meant no harm. The boy stopped screaming, but immediately his face crumbled and he buried it in his hands. 

Craig felt a lurch of panic. He didn’t do well with emotions. 

“What’s wrong?” Craig asked, but the boy just shook his head and wailed louder. “Did you get lost out here?” The boy nodded. This was good. Craig could fix that. “Well, where do you live? I can walk you to your house.” The boy was shaking his head again, his whole body shivering. 

Craig frowned. This wasn’t getting him anywhere; he needed to try a new tactic. He carefully climbed up the boulder and sat a few feet away from him. He wasn’t sure why he was trying so hard with this kid - he never cared much about anything, but it felt as though if he could help this boy, he could help himself, too. “I like your antennae, dude. Are they a costume?” Craig reach out to tug one of them, wanting to try them on himself. 

The boy shrieked when he tugged one, jerking away from him and collapsing to the ground. Craig gaped at him, taken completely aback. They weren’t a costume at all, they were attached to his head, and he’d hurt him. He felt emotions clenching in his stomach: guilt, fear, curiosity, all rolling around in his gut. He would normally walk away from a situation like this - he hated anything that threw off his routine, but this...boy? Alien? Boy in costume? Clearly needed help, and Craig couldn’t resist trying to aid him, even if alarm bells were going off in his head. Besides, if he was really an alien...Craig felt giddy just thinking about it, but he pushed those emotions down. 

He knelt in front of the blonde, who was still quivering on the ground, staring at him with horrified eyes. “I shouldn’t have done that without asking you first, I’m sorry.” He said sincerely, wishing the other would make eye contact with him. “I don’t know if you’re from this area, or even from this planet-“ he finally made eye contact with Craig, his large green eyes wild in expression, “But if you want I can bring you to my house. I’ll have to hide you - I’m in enough trouble as it is, but we have food and it’s at least a roof over your head.” 

He took a deep breath, that was far more talking than he was used to. For a moment, he thought the boy didn’t believe him, possibly even understand him, as he was considering him with a bewildered gaze. However, he seemed to realize that ultimately there was nothing else he could do. He stood to follow Craig who, before he could catch himself, smiled and led the way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> -galetron


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys make their way back into town, but not without issues along the way.

Tweek was trying his best to not have a heart attack. 

His parents never forgot him for more than a few minutes, so the fact that they’d left him there for hours meant they might have really left him behind this time. He knew it was only a matter of time before his father did something like this, but he’d hoped to be left on his home planet, where at least he knew where the resources were. This planet, other than his father's secret coffee garden, was a mystery to him. 

Then there was the matter of the boy in the blue hat. 

Tweek glances at him where he was walking slightly ahead, his head tipped up to watch the sunrise. He recognized him from the picture the man had shown him right after his father had run away. He was the son who he hadn’t been able to find. Tweek wanted to ask him about it but wasn’t sure how to approach the subject. He was also worried that he was being led to a group of scientists that wanted to study him, or soldiers that wanted to kill him, or worse. He tried to focus following after the boy without being suspicious of him, occasionally letting out an anxious shriek. 

They came to a small hill at one point, nothing special about it, but Tweek felt something was off. That’s when he heard the boy in the blue hat let out a surprised gasp before he started to lose his footing. He’d stepped on a loose rock and it had come out of the earth, sending him careening down the hill. He smacked his arm off of a small tree he’d tried to grab ahold of, which snapped him around hard so he was falling backward. Tweek shook himself out of his stupor and threw out his hand, stopping the boy in his tracks. He forced the momentum back from him, sending a shockwave through the nearby trees and shaking them free of leaves. 

He carefully made his way to the boy in the blue hat, noticing before he was close to him that his arm was bent at a horrible angle. Tweek stopped short of him, frightened. He could help the boy, who was biting his bottom lip and quivering in his attempt not to cry. Tweek knelt in front of him, staring at his arm. “I’m sorry.” He said, before he reached out and grabbed his broken arm. 

“What the fuck, dude?” The boy resisted at first, but then he seemed to notice that he was glowing the same way Tweek did and stopped. That’s when Tweek focused his powers to heal the boy’s broken arm, to mend it back like new. The boy whimpered a few times, but he tried not to focus on that. He knew it hurt now, but it wouldn’t for long. He focused as hard as he could, wanting to make sure every piece was back in place. When he finally let go of the boy’s arm, it was like the incident had never happened. They boy flexed his fingers, marveling at what had just happened. 

“Thanks, kid. What’s your name?” The boy asked out of nowhere, finally looking at Tweek in wonder. 

Should he be honest with him? He didn’t have the skill to maintain a lie, so the truth would have to work. “T-Tweek.” He replied quickly, almost in a shriek. 

The other boy raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. “I’m Craig.” He replied. “Dude, that was so fucking cool. You have healing powers? That’s amazing! I want to ask you something else, but I don’t want you to take it the wrong way.” Tweek made eye contact with the other boy, his bright blue eyes curious, no trace of malice in them. Tweek nodded. “Are you wearing a costume? Or are you…not human?” He asked. 

Tweek blinked at the question, surprised by it. How should he answer that? His parents had told him in this situation to swear he was a native, that he had grown up on this planet his whole life, but there was something about the way this boy was looking at him that made him want to tell the truth. He’d trusted Craig’s father quickly when he was normally wary, and while he hadn’t necessarily trusted his son the same way at first, he knew that was more from the initial fright of the boy suddenly bursting out of nowhere, noisy and full of life, than from him doing anything untrustworthy. Something about the simple courtesies he’d extended him - he hadn’t made fun of him and he’d apologized as soon as he’d made him uncomfortable. A reason Tweek had helped him just now instead of making him go to a hospital. 

“I’m n-not human, but I’m pretty close to h-human - oh God! If that makes sense.” Tweek answered clumsily, his voice rough from lack of use and being tight from stress all night. 

Craig studied him for a long moment before he spoke. “I don’t get that at all, dude, but don’t feel bad about it. I’m not too bright.” Tweek noticed the smile didn’t reach his eyes, and he frowned. Craig stood up, dusted off his pants, and started walking again. Tweek followed after him, storing the information away in his mind. If Craig ever said anything like that again, he’d be better prepared to respond. 

Tweek then decided that if the other boy got a personal question, so did he. “Did you run away from home?”

Craig whirled around. “No! I...I go to that place to think sometimes, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I actually like my parents.” He grabbed one of the decorative poufs dangling from his hat and yanked on it. Tweek blinked, not expecting that answer. 

“They like you too!” He blurted out, and Craig raised a single brow at him. “Ahhh! I-I mean your dad was looking for you last night. He - he asked me if I’d seen you, b-but I hadn’t yet.” 

Tweek noticed how Craig seemed to light up at that news. His eyes lit up, a genuine grin spread across his face, and it seemed as though a literal weight had been lifted off of him. “He did? He really went looking for me?” Craig asked excitedly, before his face fell again. He looked guilty. 

Tweek found he wanted to cheer him back up right away. “We’re going to them now, right? They’ll be so happy to have found you!” 

Craig was still frowning, tugging at his hat again. “I doubt it.” 

He couldn’t let that one slide. “Why?

Silence, then after several hat tugs: “I got suspended from school, and they’re going to be mad about it. That’s all.”

Tweek stared at him for a long moment. “Are they going to sell you into slavery?” He asked, suddenly nervous. 

Craig made a face at him. “Dude. No.” He felt relieved. 

They trekked on together in silence, passing a large pond. Tweek stopped to look at it for a moment, admiring the way the colors of the sunrise reflected on the surface. Craig noticed he’d fallen behind and turned to watch him for a moment. Tweek eventually met his gaze with a shriek. “Ahhhh! Oh god, what’s wrong?” He panicked. 

What Craig did next surprised Tweek more than anything that had happened thus far: he laughed, a loud, nasal barking that Tweek should probably find horrifying but instead he finds...charming? Delightful? Either way a blush has worked its way up his neck, a bright green color. 

Craig eventually stopped laughing and sighed before speaking. “I didn’t realize how much I needed that. You’re really not from here, are you?” Tweek shakes his head, not sure where this is going. “You’re so fucking cool, dude.” Craig said, and Tweek felt himself turning even greener as he shrieked loudly in surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who’s stopped by to read! I hope you like it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig

This was it. The moment of truth was upon them, and now that they were at the foot of the steps to his house, Craig didn’t have it in him to step through the door. He turned to Tweek, who was watching him patiently, something Craig appreciated immensely. He needed time to come up with a better idea. He had an actual alien with him who needed help getting home, after all. He didn’t want to ruin everything with a half baked plan. He thought about it a moment longer, but nope, his first idea was also his only idea. 

“This isn’t the best plan, but it’s what I’ve got, so I want you to trust me, okay?” He asked the alien, who nodded. He continued, “I want you to hide in the garage for a couple of hours until my parents go to work so I can sneak you inside. Got it?”

Tweek’s expression fell at that. He didn’t like the idea of being alone, Craig could somehow tell that was what was worrying him. He thought for a moment before pulling his blue jacket off and wrapping it around the other boy, helping him put his arms through the sleeves. He allowed a small smile on his face as the other boy looked bewildered at him. 

“I want you to be warm, and it’s also my favorite jacket. I’ll be back for it, so take care of it, okay dude?” Craig explained to him. When Tweek nodded, he led him to the side door to his garage, which he unlocked with his key.

He walked Tweek inside the room, full of his dads tools and hobbies rather than either of the family’s cars. He set Tweek up inside of a small tent that was intended for Tricia, his sister, years ago but that they’d never bothered to take down. He grabbed a blanket for him and spread it out across the bottom of the tent. He then found a soda for Tweek in the minifridge his dad kept there. He handed it to the boy before turning towards the door. 

“I’ll be back for you as soon as I can, dude. I’ll bring you some food. Just don’t come out of the tent for anyone except for me, got it?”

Tweek nodded, fiddling with the tab on the can of soda curiously. Craig took it from him and opened it, to which Tweek gave a shriek of surprise. He handed it back, and Tweek marveled at the way the tab bent back and forth. “I’ll be back soon.” Craig turned and moved towards the door. 

“Thank you.” Tweek said, and Craig stopped with his hand on the door handle. 

“For what?” Craig asked, turning back towards him. Tweek flinched. 

“Ahhh! Y-you could have left me out there, or brought me to a lab, or an army base...but you didn’t. Or I don’t think you are! Ahhh! Oh God! I’m trying to say you’re helping me. So…t-thanks, man.” The alien stammered out. 

Craig wanted to tell him that it was no problem at all, that this was his dream actually, but he didn’t. Instead, he smiled at him before ducking out and locking the door, hoping his parents didn’t need anything in there that morning. He didn’t have time to dwell on the fact that aliens were real at the moment, he had to face his parents now. He took a deep breath before making his way to the front door, unlocking it and carefully slipping inside. 

They were both on the couch waiting, his father’s arm wrapped around his mother. They both looked exhausted and stressed, and he felt guilty for worrying them. Even his sister was asleep on the floor with her blanket, sprawled out with her favorite doll in her arms and a small trail of drool leading from her mouth to her chin. His heart twisted at the sight. He’d really freaked them all out this time. 

His father leapt to his feet as soon as he saw him, relief evident on his face. “Craig! Thank God you’re home, son!” 

“Where’s your jacket, you must be freezing!” His mom exclaimed. She looked him over frantically before she calmed down with a sigh. “You’re okay, you’re not hurt.” She said to herself quietly, tilting her head to the side to crack her neck in a way he knew she only did when she had been stressed out for a long time. Definitely don’t tell her about how this morning you broke your arm and the alien that’s currently hiding in the garage fixed it without a blink. 

His parents weren’t overly affectionate people, but they sandwiched him between their bodies to hold him tight. He froze up initially in surprise, then wrapped his arms around them both. They stayed like that for a while, rocking together until his mother finally spoke. “I don’t want this moment to end, but we have to talk about what’s going on with you, Craig.” He nodded and braced himself for disappointment and yelling. 

“The school called us both at work yesterday to tell us that you got suspended, and that you ran out of the school into the woods and no one could find you. Is that right?” His mother’s tone was even, and she didn’t sound angry or disappointed, just concerned. He nodded. “They also said you’re in detention constantly. Is that true, too?” He nodded again. She continued, a little more choked up this time: “And then you didn’t come home last night and we just...we thought the worst, sweetie. We didn’t know if you were lost or kidnapped or...or eaten by a wild animal or a mountain lion or something.” 

She sounded so scared by the end that Craig felt like shit. He liked to think that he could handle his own problems without needing his parents help, that he was smart enough to take care of himself. However, he often found himself wishing he’d have asked for help sooner each time something like this had happened. They might have had solutions that didn’t blow up in his face horribly. He decided to try opening up to them. He wasn’t sure when that had become his plan, he’d intended originally to let his parents lead the conversation so he didn’t make things worse. It was something about what Tweek had said, about his parents liking him and wanting him around. He suddenly needed that to be true. 

He pulled back from his parents embrace slightly, hanging his head. “Cartman threw a pen at Garrison and blamed it on me. They always believe whatever he says, and sometimes other kids will back him up. I don’t know if it’s because they don’t like me or if they’re scared of Cartman. I get detentions because I fight with my teachers when I don’t understand what they’re talking about. They don’t try and explain it to me differently either, they just send me out of class, so I don’t learn anything instead. Mackey believes everything they tell him, too, so when I try to defend myself it makes it worse. I don’t know what I did that they’re singling me out. I just panicked when he said I was suspended and ran to be alone and...lost track of time. I’m sorry.” He breathed out, suddenly tired from talking for so long. 

There was a long silence, Craig refusing to make eye contact with either of his parents. He didn’t want to see their disappointment. His father spoke first, his tone a similar deadpan to Craig’s, but older, slightly more threatening. “Eric Cartman is a little shit.”

“Thomas!” His mother chided him, but she had a small smile on her face. 

“What? He is! And how dare he mess around with our son, Laura! We should have made sure Craig was moved out of his class a long time ago!” Thomas protested fiercely. Craig was filled with disbelief. They really weren’t pissed off at him after all. 

His mother nodded before she looked at Craig. “Do you have trouble paying attention in class, or do you not understand what your teachers are explaining when they teach?” 

Craig felt completely shocked. They were actually listening to him. They weren’t telling him he was stupid or telling him to try harder, they were finding logical solutions. He felt elated for the first time. “I...both, actually. And I hate fractions.” 

“Really? I’m great at fractions, kiddo, I can help you out.” His dad said, and this was quickly becoming one of the best moments of his life. 

“As for your classes...I’m going to talk to the school. I'm not thrilled you got suspended, but that Cartman boy has always been a problem and if he’s targeting you, we won’t stand for it. I’m sorry you’ve been struggling on your own, sweetie. Your dad and I both love you and never want you to suffer in silence, okay?” His mom added, reaching up to play with the pom-pom on top of his hat. 

“Thank you. Both of you.” He breathed out, feeling free of secrets and suddenly hopeful. He really did have good parents who cared about his well being and wanted the best for him. They weren’t mad about any of it. He was ecstatic. 

Until he remembered the actual alien with magical healing powers he had to hide from them in their garage. That was a huge problem, and he couldn’t drop that on them and expect them to react as well as they currently were. He deflated slightly. Tweek was the reason he’d felt confident to have this conversation with his parents in the first place though, so now he owed it to the other boy to get him home. This made it worth the effort. 

“I think I’m going to stay home with you today, kiddo.” His mother said, and he froze, good mood suddenly stalled. 

“No! That’s not necessary.” He exclaimed, much to his parents surprise. 

“Are you sure, kiddo? It’s no big deal.” His mother asked, clearly alarmed. 

He had to convince her everything was fine, otherwise Tweek would be trapped in the garage all day. Craig was worried enough about him getting caught currently, he didn’t need that stress all day. “I didn’t sleep very well last night, so I’m probably going to nap all day anyway. It’d be pretty boring.” He insisted, hoping she’d buy it. He hated lying to his parents seconds after opening up to them and greatly improving their relationship, but something stronger in him needed to keep Tweek safe. He owed him enough already. 

She seemed to believe him. “I guess you’re right. Rest up, because tonight, your dad is going to work on fractions with you, and we’re going to watch whatever movie you want as a family, okay?”

“That sounds amazing.” Craig said with a smile, and he meant it. 

Now he just had to figure out what to do to help Tweek. He thought about it, all through his shower and sitting at the table while his mother made breakfast. Aliens are fucking real. He hadn’t fully believed Tweek until he’d healed his arm. He couldn’t deny the feeling of intense pain getting worse then suddenly better as his arm was repaired. It was exactly the kind of hard evidence a skeptic like him needed. He didn’t know much about aliens yet - except that they’re twitchy and kinda green. Or maybe that’s just Tweek? Did they all have healing powers, or was that just Tweek too? Are there other kinds of aliens? What planet is he from? Does he have a spaceship? Do the constellations look the same in space? He had so many questions and no answers for them. He wished he could go ask the other boy everything now, but he needed to be patient. He tried to ignore the nagging feeling that Tweek might have run away and he’d never see him again.

His dad took a seat at the table, reading the sports section with rapt interest while his sister Tricia had the cartoons. She had lost interest in them and was staring at Craig, which meant he was about to be the subject of torment. It wasn’t that he and his sister didn’t love each other, quite the contrary, they just showed it by torturing one another. “Way to stress out mom and dad, nerd.” She said, but Craig paid her no mind and flipped her off. She returned the gesture. 

“Behave, you two.” Laura Tucker says as she approaches the table with breakfast. Tricia proceeds to pour a truly disgusting amount of syrup onto her waffles. She made eye contact with Craig. “What?” She asked haughtily. 

Craig watched her in disgust for a moment. “Gross,” He said before carefully buttering his waffles and pouring a small amount of syrup onto them, then, attempting to be sneaky, he poured a small amount over his bacon and eggs, too. He wasn’t fast enough, however, and Tricia had seen him do it. 

“Oh, but I’m gross? What the hell was that, Craig?” Tricia called him out. 

“I like sweet and salty.” He said simply, leveling a glare at her. 

She crossed her eyes at him. He did it back. She flipped him off. He flipped her off. She tossed her napkin at him. He threw it back. She flicked milk from her glass at him. 

“I love you both so much, but if this doesn’t stop I will make you go live with the Stotch’s.” Their father said without looking up from his paper. 

Both kids immediately left the other alone and tucked into their food. Their mother soon joined them, and while they were all busy eating, the atmosphere was amicable. Craig had always felt more comfortable at home than out in public, and now that he knew his parents supported him, that was even more true. They weren’t the world's most perfect family, but they were somehow the perfect family for Craig. Things were going to get better. 

Now he had to try to stop worrying about Tweek. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He had to think about this logically. It was okay to be excited about his new alien friend, but he had to be patient so his family wouldn’t find out about him. 

“Breakfast was great, Mom.” He complimented her, feeling satisfied. He hoped Tweek would like it, too. He planned on giving him all the leftovers since he couldn’t cook. His father agreed with him, complementing the meal through a mouthful of food. 

She smiled at him. “Thank you, Craig. I guess you too, honey.” Her smile got a little stiff as he said “you’re welcome” in much the same manner, but it was all in good fun. His parents teased each other constantly, making faces and back talking and flipping each other off, all in a playful way. 

His mother did actually frown after a moment. “Seems a shame to throw out all the leftovers, but they won’t reheat well.” 

Craig froze. He needed the food for Tweek, how could he explain that? “Don’t!” He said, no real plan in mind. He tried to ignore the look Tricia was giving him, she was clearly into the fact that something was amiss. 

His mother gave him a look, but his father just laughed and clapped him on the back. “He’s a growing boy, babe, he needs all the food he can get!” Yeah, sure, lets go with that, he thought to himself, glad his dad had come up with a cover for him that was totally believable. 

His mother put the waffles, eggs, and bacon all together on one plate for him with a wink. “Just help yourself when you’re hungry, dear.” Tricia continued to study him, but she did so in silence, which Craig appreciated. 

Not long after that, his father left for work and his sister ran to catch the bus. He helped his mother with dishes before she had to leave for work at the bank as well. He waved to her from out the window as she pulled away in her car. He waited two long, agonizing minutes to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything before he finally let himself get excited, quickly pulling on his sneakers. 

It was time to get Tweek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you like it. I’m going to try and update again in a week!


	5. Chapter 5

It had been over an hour now and Tweek was starting to go from jittery to completely nervous. He was huddled in a small pink tent, still fiddling with the tab on his now empty soda can. He wanted to peek out and see if he could spot Craig, but he didn’t want to get caught by his parents. He sighed and tried to focus on happy thoughts, like the sunrise he’d seen that morning, and not on how Craig could still be handing him over to government agents and he was just too naive to see it. 

He shook his head furiously, as if to physically remove the thoughts from his head. Craig had left him his jacket and he was coming back for it, he wasn’t going to hurt Tweek. He appreciated that he’d left his jacket with him. It served a dual purpose: he knew it meant Craig was coming back, and it was keeping him warm. He could see his breath coming out in puffs in front of his face, it was a wonder he hadn’t frozen during the night. He bent the tab on the now empty can back and forth, wishing he still had some of the sweet liquid. It wasn’t quite as good as coffee, but he had a feeling there was caffeine in it, as he felt the headache that had formed in his head some time ago had reduced a bit. 

He looked towards the door to the odd room he was in and wondered when Craig would be back. He had seemed so nervous about talking to his parents, and Tweek couldn’t blame him. He got nervous when he had to talk to his parents, too, though for totally different reasons. His parents were insane, but Craig’s seemed to actually care about him, if his dad searching for him in the woods the night before was any indication. 

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear Craig entering the garage again. “Hey, dude.” The monotone boy said, and the alien screamed and jumped so high he almost broke the tent. Actually, he was certain he did break the tent. The whole thing was collapsing down on him, oh god, how was he going to get out, he didn’t know which way the front was anymore, he was trapped, he wasn’t going to make it-

“Shit, dude, are you okay?” Craig asked him from somewhere outside the pink monstrosity, and Tweek noticed his tan hand near his face. He grabbed it tightly and used it as a guide to crawl out. 

When his head finally poked out, he let out a loud sigh of relief before he made eye contact with Craig. “Are you okay?” He asked again, looking a bit guilty and concerned, but also like he was trying not to laugh. Tweek stared at him for a moment, then beat him to it, laughing loudly, his face turning a deeper green as he laughed harder. 

Craig was staring at him, bewildered for a moment, before he started laughing too. “Y-you scared me-e...so b-bad, J-Jesus Christ.” Tweek managed to get out between fits of laughter, tears gathering in his eyes. He didn’t usually react to being frightened with laughter, but something about the look on Craig’s face had driven him to it. 

Craig had joined in, laughing so hard no sound was coming from him, and his face was a bright red. He finally stopped long enough to gasp for air and get out, “Dude, you scared me! I thought you were going to jump through the tent!” Before he collapsed back into silent laughter. 

Tweek felt a tug on his arm, and realized they’d never let go of each other. He raised their hands together, studying them for a moment. His skin looked a sickly shade of pale green, by comparison Craig’s tanned and calloused hand looked far warmer. He had dirt under his nails, and the skin on his knuckles was dry, but Tweek decided he liked human hands. He looked over at Craig, who had an eyebrow raised at him. “What? Do you have more fingers than me or something?” He asked, and Tweek thought he almost sounded hopeful. 

“No. I just think I like yours better is all.” He replied, twisting their hands to count fingers because he hadn’t been paying enough attention to how many there were, and what if he had a freakish amount more than Craig - or worse, what if he had fewer? Was that worse? They both had five. He breathed out, relieved. 

“Lets get inside. You’re freezing.” Craig said suddenly, pulling Tweek up with him as he stood. 

“How can you tell?” Tweek asked, curious. He wasn’t wrong, he was cold, even with the jacket Craig had lent him. The mountain air was especially cold this morning. 

“Your fingers are freezing.” Tweek looked up at Craig, who looked away with a furious blush when they made eye contact. He pulled his hand back and started for the door, leaving it open for Tweek to follow him. He stared after him for a moment before he quickly moved to catch up. He realized now the contact might have been strange or for too long, but he didn’t fully understand what “normal” on his own planet was, let alone on Earth. He did know that he didn’t usually stop to talk to strangers like he had with Craig’s dad, and he certainly didn’t invite new people into his personal space as much and as often as he had let this human boy. Tweek found him interesting and exciting and terrifying all wrapped up into one, and he wasn’t sure what that meant. 

Craig held the front door open for Tweek, who walked in with wide eyes, taking everything in. He had a typical Earth home, with a comfy living room and lots of pictures of the family. Tweek moved closer to one of them, studying it closely. He recognized Craig and his father, and assumed the other two people were his mother and sister. He wasn’t sure what they were doing in the photo, it was unlike anything he’d ever seen. They were wearing hideous sweaters with lights and strange ornaments on them, and they all had their middle fingers raised to the camera, huge grins on their faces. “What does that gesture mean?” Tweek asked Craig, hoping for some clarification. 

Craig walked over to see what he was looking at. “Oh, we’re flipping the camera off. It means ‘fuck you.’” He explained. 

Tweek stared at him. “Why is your whole family doing it?” 

Craig stared at him for a long moment, clearly at a loss. “I...honestly don’t know? We always have.” He shrugged and moved on. “Are you hungry? My mom made breakfast.” Craig said, leading him towards the kitchen. “Or if you want to shower first, that’s okay too.” 

“Shower?” Tweek asked.

Now Craig looked truly at a loss. “Uh…like get cleaned up? From being outside all night?” 

“Oh.” Tweek said, realization spreading across his features. “I don’t have anything to change into.”

“You can borrow my stuff, it’s fine.” Craig shrugged again. 

Tweek considered it for a moment. “That actually sounds nice.” Craig turned and silently lead the way up the stairs to his bedroom, where he started rifling through his closet. 

Tweek looked around, fascinated by everything in Craig’s room. He had several posters around his room, one that said, “Star Trek” in big, bold letters with a picture of a large spaceship on it, another with large writing on it (“ELO? What’s ELO?” He thought) and a girl in a spacesuit with some sort of laser gun on it. He noticed large, flat objects on his desk and picked up the top one. There was a man wearing glasses on it in profile. Another of a large, fancy building and some palm trees. Another with a large crest on it of a bird, two lions, and two fairies. A bright red one that has a knife with a snake wrapped around it-

“I want you to meet someone.” Tweek looks up from whatever the odd flat things are that he’s holding to see what Craig is doing. He grins at him largely. “Just trust me. Close your eyes.” Tweek doesn’t even think twice about it, his eyes sliding closed. He trusted Craig. “Hold out your hands, but be sure to keep them together, okay.” Weird, but okay, Tweek thought as he complied. 

He felt Craig’s fingers against his own, then something warm and soft being placed in his hands and wiggling. He opened his eyes and a small brown and white creature looked back up at him with a squeak. “This is Stripe. He’s my pet guinea pig.” Craig explained. 

“He’s amazing.” Tweek breathed, lifting him gently to see him better. He had long whiskers and his nose wiggled around a lot. He looked up at Tweek with his large, black eyes and he gently pet his head with his finger. 

“Want to feed him?” Craig asked, and he nodded enthusiastically. He set Stripe down on the bed, then he held out a treat Craig gave him to feed the creature, and it nibbled at it in a way that fascinated Tweek. “Do you have any pets? Back on your planet?” Craig spoke suddenly. 

He tore his eyes away from Stripe to look at Craig, who seemed to be trying to contain his excitement about something. Tweek pondered what for a moment, but decided it wasn’t his business and answered his question. “No. My parents don’t think I’m responsible enough.”

Craig made a face at that, but didn’t comment. He picked up the clothes he’d found and handed them to Tweek. “You should go clean up while I reheat breakfast.” 

Tweek nodded, accepting the clothes and following Craig down the hall, where he let him into a small room with strange things in it. Tweek wasn’t sure how to feel about it. He stared into the room for a long moment, feeling lost. “You okay, dude?” Craig asked him. 

He remained quiet a moment longer, then: “What exactly am I supposed to do here?” 

“Oh...uh...do you technically not have to? Does your species have a way of cleaning themselves without showering? That’s sooo cool.” Craig had a look on his face Tweek didn’t understand. Was it...admiration? Jealousy? Something else? 

“I guess we take showers too, but they don’t look like this and we call them something else.” Tweek said after he thought about it for a moment. “Show me how it works?” He asked, suddenly nervous. Not that he had any reason to be. Craig showed him how to use the various knobs and bottles and explained the purpose of the weird curtain on the outside. He also showed him the towel and explained it was for drying with after. When he finally felt confident he’d be able to handle it, Craig ducked out of the bathroom with the promise of heating up breakfast and then helping Tweek get home. 

With only a couple of minor issues (specifically that the shower curtain seemed to keep sticking to him for some reason), Tweek took a quick shower and got dressed in a pair of jeans much too long for him and a shirt that was baggy. He felt comfortable in them, though, which surprised him. He was surprised by a lot of his reactions to Craig, though. He felt calmer around him, as though everything was under control. This was unusual for him, he was used to feeling like the world was chaos. 

That is, until he made his way into the kitchen and felt his eyes widen. 

Craig was running his hand under water at the sink, cursing loudly. There was a strange device on the floor beside some sort of...pastry? He wasn’t sure, he’d come back to that. He walked closer to Craig, who had finally noticed him. “I burned my hand trying to get the stupid waffle out.” Craig explained through his teeth.

Tweek reached for his hand, pulling it out from the water to examine the bright red mark carefully. Nothing too serious, but still...he focused his energy on carefully mending the skin on his hand. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, and the redness reduced entirely. 

He pulled back to pick up the mess on the floor, but Craig stopped him with a hand on his arm. “How are you doing that?” He asked, still monotone but gentle. Like he was worried Tweek would be upset he asked. 

He shrugged, like it was no big deal. He knew it kind of was, but it made him uncomfortable to draw a lot of attention to it. “I’ve always been able to. I don’t do it often, but I’ve been able to as long as I can remember.” He answered honestly. He picked up the machine from the floor and the now cold waffle and set them both on the counter. “Are you okay?” Tweek asked, because Craig was staring off into space. 

“Is it okay if I ask you some questions over breakfast?” He asked finally. Tweek thought about it for a moment before he nodded. He knew he needed help getting home, there was no point pretending he didn’t. Craig plugged the machine back into the wall and placed a new waffle on it before closing it. He turned on a different machine and started stirring strange fluffy yellow things and little red bits around in a pan. He eventually placed this all on a plate and carried it over to the table, before grabbing a bottle from a machine that was cold on the inside. He placed them on the table together, then turned to look at Tweek again. “What would you like to drink?” He asked. 

Tweek didn’t even need to think about it. “Do you have coffee? Not decaf.” 

Craig blinked at him. “Aliens drink coffee?” He sounded perplexed. 

“My p-parents run a coffee shop out of our ship. We grow our stock here, that’s how I - oh God - ended up here.” Tweek explained. He picked up the metal object beside him and stared at it. 

“Like this.” Craig said before showing him how to use the fork to scoop up scrambled eggs and bacon and cut into the waffle to eat it. “You can put butter and syrup on them, too. They make them taste better.” He finished, gesturing to the bottle and dish. Tweek put a little of each onto the small piece he’d cut off to try them, letting out a satisfied hum at the taste. He noticed Craig wasn’t beside him anymore but was cleaning out his parents coffee machine. He tried another piece of the waffle, this time without the syrup and butter, and determined he preferred them with the extras. 

“What the fuck.” He heard Craig mutter from behind him, and he turned to see him holding a clean filter and staring at the machine like it was a mystery. 

Tweek stood and moved closer, trying to see what kind of coffee maker they used. It was different from the one Tweek was familiar with, but he had a feeling they operated the same way. He took the filter from Craig’s hand and placed it into the machine, then opened the container of ground coffee that was left by the machine. He scooped out a generous amount and dumped it on top of the filter. He made sure there was enough water in it, then turned it on. 

“How do you know how to do that?” Craig asked him. 

“I guess it’s one of those things that’s the same even on different planets.” Tweek explained, and they shared a smile. 

“How do you know English? Do you have like a translator device or something?” Craig asked excitedly. He wasn’t entirely sure what to make of his enthusiasm, but he definitely liked it better than him being terrified of him. He just hadn’t ever had someone truly take an interest in him before. 

“My parents always speak it. I guess that’s the language we all use?” Tweek said. Craig furrowed his brow at that, and Tweek frowned. “What’s wrong?” 

Craig didn’t respond for a moment, then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m dumb.” He yanked on his hat. 

Tweek’s frown deepened. That was the second time he had alarm bells going off from something Craig said and he needed to address it this time. “Why do-do you - ahhh! - keep saying that?” He asked. 

He pulled on his hat again, looking anywhere but at Tweek. He stared hard at the floor, silent and completely still, as if he might disappear. Tweek didn’t understand at all. He studied Craig for a moment, trying to get an idea of what the other boy was feeling. He was trying so hard to keep up a cool, neutral demeanor like he didn’t care, but Tweek saw right through it. 

He changed tactics. He could see the stress and anxiety in the tightness of Craig’s shoulders and his general stiffness, so he set about finding something to drink his coffee out of. He found mugs on his third try, tucked away in a cabinet. He pulled out one that had a cartoon of a girl and a dog on it that said, “The Sun’ll Come Out Tomorrow” in a large cartoon speech bubble. He proceeded to fill it nearly to the brim before setting it on the counter to cool and turning to face the other boy, who had remained silent the whole time, frozen in the same position. 

Tweek blew gently across the surface of his hot coffee, waiting only a couple of minutes before deciding it was okay to drink. He took a long sip before he finally turned to try again. “You’ve called yourself d-dumb twice since I met you, and in that time you successfully found your way through the woods back to your house and managed to keep me hidden. Maybe you’re not book smart but… but you have more common sense than my parents do, and trust me when I say that can’t be taught.” 

Craig was staring at him now, his face completely blank. Tweek met his gaze, calmly sipping his coffee. He was usually more nervous when he had to be confrontational, but for once he was confident in what he was saying. Craig was curious, logical...he had insecurities, and though Tweek didn’t know the full extent of them, he knew he didn’t deserve to be tormented by them any more than Tweek did by his. 

He watched the other boy fidget for a moment, tugging at his hat again. “You- I…” Craig struggled to find the words he wanted, “Thanks, dude.” He was staring at the floor now like it was the most interesting thing in the world. His cheeks were bright red. 

Tweek finished his mug of coffee, then chose to take pity on him and changed the subject. “You said you had questions?” 

Craig nodded. “Do you have a spaceship?” 

“My parents do.” He replied, grinning at the way Craig lit up. 

“That’s sooo cool.” Craig’s eyes were shining as he imagined it. “Is it fast like the Millenium Falcon? Do they have a crew like the Starship Enterprise? Have you ever flown it?” He questioned further. 

“No! What? No! Oh, Jesus, I’m too scared to try.” Tweek felt afraid just talking about it,

“I could fly it for you, if you want. You could be my navigator.” Craig said excitedly, and Tweek thought that sounded like the greatest idea ever. 

“I’d like that.” Tweek agreed. He wasn’t sure what forces had put this human in his path, but he was thankful for them nonetheless. Was this what having a friend was like? 

Tweek finished his second cup of coffee along with his food as quickly as he could. Then Craig took care of the dishes, which resulted in a playful fight with the bubbles from the dish soap and the nozzle from the sink. Tweek had surrendered nearly immediately - “I didn’t think it was going to be so messy, dude!” - and he helped Craig finish returning the room to normal. 

Craig then got out a notebook and a pack of crayons. On one piece, he wrote, “Our Brilliant Plan to Get Tweek Home” with a cartoon of him and Tweek underneath it. Tweek added a picture of his parents ship, which had distracted Craig with more questions for a long time (“Is that a deck with tables and chairs?” “We feature outdoor dining!” “That’s sooo awesome.”) 

“How do we go about doing this? Do you have a way to contact your parents?” Craig asked him, and Tweek felt his nerves start to build for the first time since the garage. He didn’t have a way to contact his parents - his parents always held onto the devices that could communicate across the insanely huge distance it would be between Earth and wherever they were in space. They never let him have them because they cost a lot of money and they were afraid he would lose them. 

“I don’t.” He said, sinking into his chair. What if Craig didn’t want to be around such an irresponsible alien? What if he hated Tweek for inconveniencing his life? What if he decided it was too much hassle to get Tweek back to his parents and turned him over to the government, and they did dissections on him? What if -

“It’s cool, dude. We’ll figure out a way to contact them. Maybe we can break into the space center.” Craig suggested with a nonchalant shrug. 

Tweeks eyes bugged out. Craig clearly hadn’t thought this through. “What? Fuck, no, dude, we can’t do that!” Tweek shrieked, his hands yanking hard on his hair. His head was pounding. “What if we get caught and they lock you away forever and experiment on me? Or what if they want to dissect me? Or they just lock me up in a cell and I never have contact with anyone again? Oh, Jesus!” 

Craig dropped the crayon he was holding and moved to pull Tweek’s hands from his hair. He was surprisingly gentle as he did so. “Breathe all the way out and then take a deep breath and hold it, dude.” He listened to him, and the pounding in his head became a dull throb. “I will never let anything like that happen to you, okay?” He said, his flat tone more serious than usual, possibly concerned? Tweek nodded slowly. “Okay. Now how are we going to get you back to your planet?” 

“What the hell did you just say? And who the fuck is that?” A voice loudly interrupted from the doorway, and both boys turned, horrified, to meet the eyes of Tricia, who had clearly been there long enough to know something was up. 

“Fuck my life.” Craig said, and Tweek, in that moment, had to agree. He was shaking, he could feel himself start to panic. He let out a loud shriek and ran out through the back door of the house into the yard. He heard Craig calling after him, but he needed to calm down. There was a small, wooden house with a rounded opening in the front that he crawled into, tugging his knees to his chest and tucking his head against them. He felt bad ditching Craig, but he needed a moment to himself. 

Back inside, Craig kept looking between where Tweek had gone and where Tricia was standing, his expression lost. Tricia shook her head at him, crossing her arms. “You have got some explaining to do, brother dearest. What’s going on here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left a comment or kudos, and everyone who’s stopped by to read. I’m having a lot of fun writing this so I hope it’s fun to read, too. I’ll update again soon!


	6. Chapter 6

Craig was standing on a chair in the kitchen, attempting to find something in the cabinets. He had tried convincing Tweek to come out of the family’s old dog house, but the alien boy hadn’t moved yet. Now, he was trying his best to ignore his sister, who was still trying to get any kind of answer out of him, though she didn’t seem to actually care as much as she wanted to drive him crazy. “Craaaaaaig! Oh my god, you are so irritating!” She complained loudly from behind him. He went right on ignoring her, his patience other worldly for a fourth grader. 

She was quiet for a moment, but he knew it was just because she was looking for a new angle. She finally exclaimed, “What the fuck did you seriously drink nasty ass coffee out of my Annie cup?” 

“No, that was him.” Craig silently congratulated Tweek on coming up with a great way for him to freak out his sister without trying. 

“Are you serious? You let some kid who doesn’t get Halloween isn’t for another fucking month drink coffee out ofmy favorite cup? What the hell, Craig?” 

He chose to change the subject, he’d had enough of her whining. “Why are you even here right now? Shouldn’t you be at school?” He asked her, only because she’d ruined his morning with the first alien he had ever met, and he wanted to know why. 

“I fell asleep in class and mom was already at the school, so she dropped me off on her way to work.” She shrugged, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Still doesn’t explain why you were holding hands with a boy in our kitchen.” 

Craig could feel his entire face heating up from his neck to his ears. “Fuck off, brat.” He said through his teeth, refusing to turn to look at her. 

“Awwww, you look like a lobster right now, Craig.” She teased. 

“I said fuck off, Tricia.” He slammed the cabinet he’d been looking through shut and turned to scowl at her. Tricia, for her part, seemed completely pleased with herself, and not at all tired enough to fall asleep in class. “Aren’t you supposed to be ‘tired?’” He asked her sarcastically. 

She rolled her eyes at him. “No duh, dumbass. I’d be at school right now if you hadn’t run off last night and made Mom and Dad cry.” 

He froze. “They cried?” 

She nodded. “When the school told them you’d run into the woods and no one could find you, Dad went looking for you for like, five hours but he couldn’t find you and it was dark, so he came home. Mom freaked out and said that it was their fault and that they should be paying more attention to you, and then Dad started crying, which made Mom cry, which made me cry, and we were doing that for a long time. That’s why it’s your fault.” 

She wasn’t teasing so much as she was trying to make him feel guilty, and it was working. He felt nauseous, imagining his family crowded together in the living room, crying over him. He’d never seen his father’s eyes water, much less produce real tears. He pulled open another cabinet and continued his search, frantic for a distraction. Where the fuck were they? He knew his mom kept some stashed away somewhere…

Tricia watched him struggle a bit before she spoke again. “What exactly are you trying to find?” She asked. He ignored her, trying to focus. He was looking for a small bag or box, could be brown or orange depending on what she’d been craving when she was at the store…

“So you’re cold shouldering me? That’s fine, I can take it.” He wished he was an only child so, so desperately. “So who is this guy hiding in Spot’s old doghouse? Friend? Enemy? Lover? Oh, I know, enemy to lover!” He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. You’re fine, it’s cool, do not punch your sister in the face- 

“No, it’s none of that. I don’t know him from school, so he either doesn’t go there or is super unpopular. He’s easily frightened and clearly paranoid. He doesn’t really seem like your type, you usually hang out with people way cooler than you are.” Craig gripped the knobs on the cabinets tightly, trying so hard to focus on anything but her. His nerves were already completely on edge, and he was sore from sleeping on a stump all night. That wasn’t even counting all of his excitement from Tweek, which while it was fun and exciting was also draining. He’d had to process a lot of new information in a few short hours. 

“So what’s your plan here? You’re going to let a human live in our doghouse and hope Mom and Dad never question it?” 

“He’s not fucking human! Jesus fucking Christ, Tricia!” He finally exploded. She stared at him in shock, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. 

“What the hell does that mean?” She asked, but Craig went back to ignoring her and searching through another cabinet. His eyes lit up as they caught onto what he was searching for. Jackpot. “Hey, Craig? What the fuck does that mean?” She asked again, sounding nervous. He ignored her. 

He jumped down from the chair and grabbed a large stack of small plates from their cabinets, counting them quickly: 12, more than enough for what he had to do. He placed them one at a time on the floor, each about two feet apart. He then opened the boxes he’d been searching for - his mom's emergency stash of candy, in this case, a box of M+M’s and a box of Reese’s Pieces. He separated out just the red, green, and blue M+M’s and then took out the same number of orange, yellow, and brown Reese’s. He continued like this all the way outside until he was right in front of the doghouse, then he walked back inside and stowed the box away again. 

Tricia was staring at him like he was insane, which he well might be. He hadn’t meant to yell at her like that, or tell her Tweek wasn’t human, but she’d picked at his nerves at the wrong time, and honestly, he didn’t have the energy to care. He walked past her and into the living room, where he collapsed face down onto the couch. He heard Tricia following after him, inevitably to try and piss him off some more. He didn’t attempt to move. 

“Are you alright?” She asked him, her voice small. He lifted his head up just enough to let out an exhausted, “Bitchin’.” He was grateful she seemed to realize he wasn’t in the mood. He wanted Tweek to calm down and come back inside so they could figure out how to get him home, and then maybe take a nap before-

“Hey, I think that candy thing is actually working. Super weird, by the way. This kid is a total zeek.” Tricia said, staring out through the sliding doors. 

Craig sat up to look outside and sure enough, Tweek was crouched at the edge of the doghouse, examining the small candy he held between his thumb and index finger. Craig smiled at the sight. Obviously they didn’t have M+M’s on his planet, or he’d have just eaten them. “Is he...dressed up like an alien? Isn’t it a little early for Halloween? His skin is green and everything! He’s really committed to that role. Is that why you are smiling at him like that? Because he’s dressed up like your species?” Tricia said, giggling. Craig flipped her off but didn’t look away from Tweek. 

He’d moved forward to the next plate now, examining the second candy and comparing them. He had a blue and green, which seemed to confuse him. When he saw the third he let out a shriek, scooping it up as well. He kept on like that, scrambling towards the next candy and screaming, until he made it into the kitchen. Now Craig could hear what he was yelling about. “They make no sense! Ahhhhh! Are they poison? Do they hear me? Are they listening?” 

Craig couldn’t help himself: he snorted hard through his nose hard and collapsed back onto the couch in pain, but laughing through it. Tweek looked over at him from where he was in the kitchen, surprised, but then a grin formed on his face and he made his way into the living room. He sat on the end of the couch by Craig’s head, one cushion over, holding a stack of plates that had been stretched into a line moments before, all the M+M’s and Reese’s balanced on the top plate. “Sorry I - ahhh! - ran out.” He said sheepishly. 

Craig rested his chin on his hand and looked up at Tweek, a lazy smile on his face. “Sorry I laughed at you. They’re snacks. I promise, they aren’t listening to anyone.” 

He reached up and snagged one of each candy, orange and blue, popping them into his mouth. Tweek watch him, fascinated. He picked up a green and yellow, holding them out to Tweek. He took them in his hands and stared at them for a long moment before copying Craig and tossing them into his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise, a smile forming on his face. “That’s amazing!” He exclaimed, and Craig felt the smile on his face stretch further. 

Then he remembered Tricia was watching and judging them. “Let’s go upstairs.” Craig’s said, sitting up and taking the plates from Tweek’s hands. He set them on the coffee table and took the top plate with the candy. Tweek followed him, eyeing Tricia nervously, like she might go after him at any moment. In his defense, she was staring at him with her mouth hanging open in shock. Luckily, she still seemed to think he was just wearing a costume. 

He led the way to room, dragging his feet as he kicked off his sneakers, shut the door behind them, and turned off the lights, the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling coming to life. The only other source of light was the sun shining in around the curtain. He sprawled onto his bed and rolled to the wall side, looking at Tweek with tired eyes. The other boy was watching him with wide eyes, shaking slightly. “What did she say? Is she calling the government to come take me? Is she - ahhh! - one of them?” He asked. 

Craig shook his head, a tired smile on his face. “No one’s calling anyone, Tweek. Except maybe your parents, if we can figure out how.” He said calmly. He felt bad that Tweek was so scared of being captured, but he wasn’t sure what to do to calm him down. Thankfully, his words had seemed to do the trick for now, as his tense shoulders sagged and his shaking stopped. “I want to get you home, but I’m tired, so I’m going to take a nap. You should, too.” Craig mumbled. He was so fucking tired suddenly, he could barely keep his eyes open. 

Tweek hesitated a moment before crawling onto the bed beside him. “I’m not very good at sleeping.” He admitted quietly. Craig sat up and picked up the record on top of the stack on his desk without looking at it and put it into the turntable, placing the needle on top. He turned it down just a touch before falling back onto the bed and pulling his hat low over his eyes. 

Bright piano filled the room before it was joined by other instruments and a man singing. Craig cursed internally. It was his mom’s Elton John album, and he’d borrowed it a week ago without asking, and when she’d asked him where it was, he’d blamed it on Tricia. She’d gotten a lecture about asking before taking, and she’d glared at Craig the whole time, flipping him off under the table. Now he’d given her proof she was right. He decided it didn’t really matter and allowed his body to relax. 

“What is happening right now?” Tweek asked him. He didn’t sound concerned, but there was an emotion in his voice as he asked. Craig pulled his hat up on one side to peek at him, and he seemed to be...excited? Sad? Confused? It was a lot of emotions to deal with, and Craig paused for a moment. Did aliens not have music? That was such a horrible thought. 

“It’s music, so you don’t have to be awake with nothing to do. I have books, too, if you want to read. Just wake me up when the music stops so the record doesn’t get scratched.” Tweek was processing all of that new information. He blinked, staring up at the glowing stars on Craig’s ceiling. Craig studied him, his wild, blonde hair looked soft and the green of his skin was apparent event in the dim lighting. He could feel the heat radiating from him and he smelled strongly of coffee. Craig had the sudden urge to pull him against his chest and bury his face in his hair. He pulled his hat back down and forced himself to stop thinking. 

Tweek had been quiet for a while, just listening. Eventually, he spoke again. “What’s music?” He asked, and Craig could hear that he was smiling. He struggled to come up with a decent answer. 

“It’s like poetry or stories,and there’s a bunch of different kinds. People make it with instruments and singing and stuff. My dad has a guitar, maybe I’ll show you-“ he yawned, “-later.” 

“I’d like that.” Tweek murmured. He didn’t say anything else, and Craig drifted into a pleasant sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I wasn’t sure if anyone would be interested in this story and the support and kind comments I’ve gotten mean everything. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I’m going to try and update again soon!


	7. Chapter 7

It had been about eight and a half songs since Craig had fallen asleep, snoring softly beside Tweek. He watched the human boys chest rise and fall slowly as he breathed, and something about that soothed his nerves. It was as if the other boy could keep his fears and anxiety at bay just by being there. 

The music was helping, too. He didn’t know how to explain it, but something about it just sounded...right. Tweek had studied the record player from where he was sitting against the headboard, the needle steadily making its way across the spinning record. It was almost at the end, he was supposed to wake Craig up. He found he didn’t want to, he was obviously tired and needed to recharge. Tweek could do this. He just had to lift the needle off the record without moving and waking up Craig. Simple, really, he tried to assure himself. 

He focused on the throbbing in his head for a moment, it having been only slightly alleviated by the dark in the room. That was okay though, this time he actually needed the pain to focus. He stared hard at the needle and concentrated, putting all of his might into it. He could do this small thing for Craig, and allow him to sleep undisturbed a bit longer. 

The music stopped as the arm of the needle pulled up and back to carefully reposition itself back at the beginning of the record. The bright song that reminded him of driving through space played again, and a large smile formed on his face. He’d done it. He’d successfully used one of his abilities other than healing. His parents had complained several times about his lack of progress, how he should be demonstrating many powers, but he never saw them using any, so he couldn’t see why it was expected of him. However, it was nice to know that when he wanted to, he could focus and accomplish what he wanted. He technically wished he could have dropped it in a specific spot to pick the song he most wanted to hear again, but he was happy with his success either way. 

He adjusted himself a bit so he was actually lying on the bed, suddenly tired. He didn’t use his powers this often normally, so he assumed it was related to that. He closed his eyes for just a moment when he felt the boy beside him roll over and curl against him. He eyes shot open, and Craig had rolled half on top of him, his elbow on Tweek’s shoulder and his thigh pressed to Tweek’s almost entirely. His hat was almost fully coming off of his head. He hadn’t seen Craig’s hair yet, it was a shiny black color, sticking up at odd angles from being trapped under his hat. It looked soft, and he had the urge to bury his fingers in it. What? He did? Why did he feel that way? He hadn’t felt that way about hair normally. Was Craig’s hair special? 

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the music, picking out different sounds and melodies. He couldn’t help but focus on the breathing of the boy beside him, steady and quiet as he slept. It was soothing. He let himself drift into a twilight state, somewhere between being asleep and awake, as he listened to the record a second time. He found he was remembering them all quite well, which was unusual for him. He usually had trouble with memorization, his anxiety convincing him that he’d never truly remember correctly. Something about music clicked in his head the way nothing else ever had for him. 

The opening notes of the song he’d been waiting for played, and he felt a thrill of excitement as he focused on it. This song wasn’t as upbeat as the others, but there was a beauty and longing in lyrics, a loneliness, that resonated with Tweek. He let the words wash over him, allowed himself to feel them. He didn’t realize how hard he was shaking until Craig stirred beside him. He tilted his head up, grumbling in annoyance and pulling his hat all the way off when it got into his eyes. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes before looking over at Tweek. 

“What’s wrong?” His voice was groggy. Tweek shook his head, he didn’t want to sound lame explaining how much he enjoyed the music, how much he’d connected to it. “Dude, I can feel you shaking, and you’re crying, so something’s wrong.” Craig asked him. He was crying? When had he started doing that? He touched his cheek and sure enough, there were tears running down his face. 

“Oh.” He blinked at his fingers, unsure of what to say. He finally settled on, “I - ahhh! Really like this song.” 

There was a pause in their conversation, filled with the end of the song as Craig listened to it too. To his surprise, he didn’t make fun of him. “It’s my favorite, too. I imagine I’m floating through space when I hear it.” He admitted, and Tweek liked him all the more for it. “This music’s kinda old now, but my mom used to play it for me all the time, so it’s relaxing for me.”

They were frightened out of their moment by pounding on the door. “I knew you took Mom’s records, you dick! You are so screwed when she gets home!” His sister yelled through the door. 

Tweek looked over at him, eyes wide. “Are you going to be a lot of trouble?”

Craig stretched his arms out over his head before flopping back down, half on top of Tweek. He probably would have found it annoying if the human wasn’t so endearing. “Nope. Mom will borrow my Fleetwood Mac and Queen albums for a week or two, and Dad will take my Led Zeppelin ones and say they’re ‘a bad influence’ but play them in the garage every time he goes out there. It’s lame, honestly. I’m more concerned that if we can’t get you home they might not let you stay. There’s got to be some way to contact your parents.” 

Tweek was nervous about that too. He didn’t have any idea how to contact his parents, and… he glanced down at the human who was using his as a pillow, and realized he didn’t know if he actually wanted to go home to his parents. He’d have to pick beans and grind coffee and inventory the back room, and they never let him off the spaceship. He’d certainly never see Craig again, and that wasn’t something he wanted at all. The human boy had shown him more interest and consideration than his parents ever had. He’d been incredibly happy when he realized it was candy the boy had laid out to lead him back inside. It was considerate, mostly. When Tweek panicked on the ship, his parents would complain and make him feel worse about it. Craig didn’t make him feel bad for having anxiety, and that was everything to Tweek. 

“We’ll think of something.” He said, more confident than he’d ever been in his life that was true. 

“I just don’t want you to feel like I’m going to sell you out to scientists or something. I’m a friend to all aliens, I’d never betray your species like that.” Craig swore seriously. Tweek stared at him for a moment, at the sincerity in his features, and burst out laughing. The other boy had the decency to look embarrassed. “That was dramatic, but I meant it. I’ve always wanted to meet an alien; I don’t want to hurt you.” His cheeks were bright red, and with his hair sticking up the way it was and his arms crossed the way they were, he looked...well…

Positively adorable. 

Tweek had figured out a long time ago that he was gay. He just didn’t see himself “meeting a female alien and having kids.” It didn’t feel right in his mind. Now soaring around space, exploring different solar systems and planets, with Craig driving and him navigating? That was more and more appealing by the second. He didn’t know if it was wrong for him to have a small crush on the human boy, but he didn’t care. As long as Craig never found out, their friendship could remain in tact. 

“I believe you.” Tweek assured the other boy, who smiled so sincerely at him that he had to look away. He knew there were more people that would disapprove of his feelings than encourage them, Craig more than likely included in that, so he couldn’t let it be obvious. What if Craig found out and took everything back and kicked him out? Or what if that was what made him decide to turn him in? He tried to push it from his mind. Better to squash this crush as quick as he can. 

“I’m happy you screamed when you saw me this morning.” He looked down to see Craig turned slightly to meet his gaze. 

“Why?” 

“Because of you I get to know how awesome our universe actually is. Plus, I have an alien friend now, and that’s fucking cool.” He grinned up at him. 

How was he supposed to get over this crush of his when he was saying shit like that to him? 

There was a stretch of silence. He and Craig were staring at each other, but he didn’t feel uncomfortable with it. Eventually, he reached out and poked the tip of his nose. Craig smirked before returning the gesture. He reached out and tickled his ribs, and the human boy leapt up with a shriek that seemed highly unusual for him before he twisted around and started doing the same to Tweek. They kept at it for a while, taunting each other between fits of giggles until Tweek couldn’t take it anymore. “Truce! Ahhhh! Truce!” 

They lay there, both completely out of breath and still laughing. Craig sat up from where he’d been pinning the alien boy and adjusted so he was sitting beside him. He hadn’t realized how close they were to each other until now. He also noticed that they were leaning towards each other now, what was happening? Why were they doing that? Craig’s eyes are so incredibly blue- 

“What the hell are you two doing?” They jumped away from each other at the sound of Tricia’s voice, and he could feel Craig tense up beside him. 

“Fucking knock you cretin!” Craig snapped at her, grabbing his hat from where it had been tossed aside earlier and jamming it onto his head. 

“Your idiot friend is at the door right now, not mine. Or did you not hear the doorbell because you were busy sucking face with-“ 

“Tricia! Leave! Now!” Craig shouted at her, and she did make a run for it. “Such a fucking twat.” He muttered as he rubbed at his eyes. 

Tweek wasn’t sure what to do. He wasn’t sure if he should acknowledge what seemed like had been happening between them, or if it was all in his mind. He couldn’t be that lucky, could he? 

He initially didn’t move to follow Craig, but he paused at the door and turned towards him. “I understand if you don’t want anyone else to see you, but my friends might be able to help. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” 

Tweek considered what he said for a moment before sliding off the bed to follow him. They could really use the help coming up with a plan. 

Downstairs, Tricia was sitting on the couch watching cartoons. Craig strode towards the door and glanced back at Tweek one more time before opening it. 

On the steps was a boy just a bit shorter than Craig, with brown hair and eyes. He had his hands on his knees and was panting, like he’d been running a lot recently. He visibly brightened when he saw Craig. “Dude! What the fuck! I was worried about you, you asshole!” He punched Craig’s shoulder. Tweek initially bristled at this, ready to jump in if he actually had malicious intent, but then Craig laughed and flipped him off, and he settled down. Where was that protective instinct stemming from anyway? 

“Sorry, I’ve had a lot going on.” Craig apologized. 

The new boy made eye contact with Tweek through the door, and he let out a loud shriek. “I can see that.” He looked suddenly amused. 

Craig glanced back and Tweek, sharing a small smile with him before turning to face the other boy again. “How are you even here right now, Clyde? Shouldn’t you be at school?” 

The boy, Clyde, ignored him and pushed inside to get a better look at Tweek. “I don’t think we’ve met, dude. Do you go to school here?” 

Tweek was shaking. What was he supposed to say? Should he lie? Tell the truth? What if he laughed at him? What if he-

“No, he doesn’t go to school here.” Craig answered him, and Tweek could see he was frowning. 

“What’s with the get up? Do you think you’re an alien or something?” Clyde asked him. He didn’t reply, still shaking. Should he answer? What should he say? 

He was beaten to it by Craig punching Clyde's arm hard. “Ow! What the hell?” He snapped at Craig. 

“You’re making him feel bad.” He said to his friend, who stared at him like he had five heads. 

“Okay, man, fuck. What, he can’t talk?” Clyde asked, raising his hands up in surrender. 

“I can - ahhhh! - talk!” Tweek finally burst out. 

He was faced with two different expressions: Clyde, who looked very confused, and Craig, who was smiling at him. The latter put his hand on Tweek’s shoulder and guided him towards the stairs, tilting his head towards them at his friend. “Let’s continue this conversation away from the brat.” He said, and Clyde shrugged. 

“I heard that.” Tricia said from her spot on the couch. 

The three boys made their way upstairs, Craig closing the door behind them and turning on the lights. Clyde took the beanbag chair that was hiding in the corner, while Craig stopped the record and turned off the turntable. Then he took a seat on the floor next to Tweek. “So, what the hell is happening here?” Clyde asked immediately. 

Craig looked over at Tweek, as though making sure it was okay to take on the reigns, and proceeded to tell Clyde about how he and Tweek had met, his broken arm, the healing, sneaking him into the house, and now their need for a plan to contact his parents. His final words were the ones that stuck out the most to him, “I know this is a lot to take in dude, but I’m not making any of it up. He really is an alien, he really needs to get home, so help me come up with a plan. You’re my best friend, and helping him is probably the single greatest thing I will do in my life. Please.” He was so calm and steady as he asked, and Tweek could sense the desperation in him for his friend to help them. 

Clyde, for his part, sat quietly through the whole thing, his expression blank. When Craig finally stopped speaking, there was a long, tense stretch of silence, with both boys staring hard at him, as if he held the fate of their universe in his hands. In a lot of ways, he did. Tweek felt his anxiety tensing up his limbs, and it made him want to stand up and move around, but he resisted, which made him start shaking. 

He finally spoke after a painfully long time. “You aren’t fucking with me?” 

Craig shook his head. “This is real, dude.”

Clyde ran his hand through his hair before looking over at Tweek for the first time. “What planet are you from?” 

Tweek froze. He didn’t actually know what planet he was from. He’d always lived on his parents’ ship, and he wasn’t allowed to leave the back room except to pick beans with his father. He’d never thought to ask them where they were actually from. “I- ahhh! I don’t know!” 

He noticed immediately that the other two boys were staring hard at him. “You don’t know what planet you’re from? Are you serious?” Clyde asked, and Tweek nodded, realizing suddenly how bad this was for him. “How is that even possible?”

“I- I never thought to - ahhhh! - ask them.” He was shaking noticeably now. 

“That doesn’t make sense. What species are you? Do you even know?” Clyde pressed. 

Tweek shrieked and leapt to his feet, not sure what he was about to do, he just needed to be able to breathe, but Craig stopped him before he could do anything with two hands on his shoulders. “It’s okay. I believe you.” He said, and he waited for Tweek to nod in acknowledgement before facing Clyde, keeping a hand on Tweek’s arm. “I know none of this makes sense, but he healed my broken arm in seconds, dude. He’s not making this up. Help us.” Tweek felt himself relax a bit at hearing the way Craig grouped them together. 

The two humans were locked in a staring contest, neither backing down. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but he knew it was some kind of power struggle. Finally, Clyde caved. “Fine. I think I already have a solution for you, but I have no idea how we’re going to do it. We’re going to need way more help than we have, and a miracle.” 

He felt Craig relax beside him. “We can do it.” He said, before turning back to Tweek. “We’ll get you home, I promise.” He said, and Tweek nodded. 

He noticed Clyde was studying them, and he stepped away from Craig. “What’s your plan?” He asked his new friend. 

Clyde paused a moment before answering him. “The local radio station. The signal isn’t strong, but if they were anywhere nearby they’d hear it. We just have to figure out how to get into the station.” He explained. 

Craig frowned. “It’s a good idea, but I don’t know anything about that place. I don’t know who would.” 

Tweek felt his heart sink a little at that. This wasn’t going to be easy at all, and he was probably going to get all of them into tons of trouble, and get himself captured and killed. His head throbbed worse than it had in a long time. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I shouldn’t have stayed behind. I - ahhhh! - should’ve followed my dad when he ran. I should have run after him. Ahhh! I’m going to get you both killed!” He was yanking at his hair again. 

He felt someone gently pry his hands from his hair. “Stop that.” Craig said firmly. “It’s a radio station, not a high security government facility. I won’t take you anywhere I think you might get hurt, and I wouldn’t put myself in a situation like that. Calm down.” 

Tweek jerked back from him. Why wasn’t he listening to him? “Stop doing that! This situation is only happening because I fucked up, man!” 

“No, you didn’t! Your parents left you here, if anything it’s their fault. I’m not mad about it either, I just need you to think rationally.” Craig insisted. 

Tweek made up his mind and darted past Craig towards the door. He heard him call after him, but he kept going, down the stairs, almost colliding with Tricia at the bottom, who shrieked and jumped out of the way. He threw open the front door and ran out, the bright sun hurting his eyes. He wasn’t sure where he was running, just that he- 

He collided with something solid and fell back onto the concrete sidewalk. The pounding in his head was almost unbearable now, he couldn’t focus on anything. He could make out a red and blue blur with floating yellow in front of him. 

“Well, well, well, I didn’t know the freak show was in town, guys, no way!” He heard someone say, and he suddenly knew his situation was going to get a lot worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I’ll try and update again as soon as I can.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been so long since the last update! I’ll have more notes at the end of the chapter.

Craig didn’t hesitate for a second. He charged after Tweek, determined not to let his new friend run out of his life, especially over what was just horrible word choice on his part. It was a stupid thing to fight over. He almost caught Tweek by the arm when he had his run in with Tricia at the bottom of the stairs, but he’d made it past her and grabbed the doorknob, slamming it behind him. About two seconds after, Craig crashed into it. Face first. Hard. 

He rubbed at his forehead and fumbled around for the doorknob to hoist himself up, but he wasn’t having much success. “God fucking damn it.” He muttered, irritated by the little white lights he was seeing in front of his eyes. He pressed his hands over them and held them closed. 

“What the fuck is going on, Craig?” Tricia demanded, but he ignored her in favor of cursing loudly. He was going to have a headache soon. 

Clyde appeared at the bottom of the stairs and helped him up, steadying him carefully. “Where’d he go?” He asked. Craig fixed his hat oh his head before he jerked the door open and ran outside, looking frantically around for the alien. What if he got hit by a car? Or the wrong people happen to see him? Or what if someone takes him? He needed to find him. Right. Now. 

His blood ran cold when he finally spotted him, not too far down the street. He was screaming on the ground as Cartman stood over him, yanking on one of his antennae. He was clearly trying to fight him off but was losing because Cartman used his weight to his advantage. “Halloween’s not for another month, dick. You are so fucking weird. You really committed with the make up, dude, it’s horrible and ugly. Ey, you guys think we could make money off him? Maybe sell him to the circus or something?” He asked his friends, who were scowling at him from a few feet away. 

“Leave him alone, Cartman, he’s clearly some homeschooled kid with problems:” Kyle snapped at him, but his words fell on deaf ears as Cartman started prodding at Tweek more, poking his cheeks and forehead. The alien boy let out a shriek as he did, kicking at him, but only successfully getting his shin. He’d let go of Tweek’s antenna though, so now was his moment to strike. 

Craig ran as fast as he could at the fat boy, dropping his shoulder to tackle him to the ground. He punched him once in the jaw before he was flipped onto his back. Cartman was crushing his chest and pinning his arms down with his thighs, making it hard to breathe and impossible to fight back. Cartman got a decent punch in, hitting him hard right on the eye and smacking his head off the ground behind it. Great, he was going to have a huge shiner later today, and probably a rather large bump as well. His head was ringing from the impact, but thankfully he’d been punched in the face before so he recovered quickly (was he really thankful for that? He’d explore that more when he had time). He managed to get one arm free and landed a punch to his side when he heard a shriek that sounded like a frantic Tweek. He felt air rush into his lungs as Cartman was pulled off of him and lifted several feet into the air, spinning around wildly. 

“Help! Ey! Help! I am so fucking seriously, you guys, help!” He screamed as he was flipped again and again, rotating in quick circles through the sky. 

Craig’s eyes widened in wonder, staring up at the boy screaming in the air above him. How was this possible? He sat up and waited a moment for the world to stop spinning, which was when he saw Tweek. He was focused hard on Cartman, his expression fierce and furious, his left arm extended out towards the flying boy. It was clear that what was happening was his doing. He was amazing, a telekinetic healing alien, like Jean Grey from X-Men. Except better, because he was real. 

Craig scrambled up and stumbled over to him, collapsing to his knees in front of him. “Tweek.” He said quietly, and the alien pulled his eyes away from Cartman to look at him. He looked powerful and wild as the...magic? Science? Craig didn’t really know what it was, but he was stunning. He needed to be stopped before he took it too far, though. “Put him down. I know he deserves it, but you could get caught if someone sees.” He reasoned, hoping that he had, in fact, been forgiven for pushing Tweek’s feelings aside earlier. 

He nodded, and Cartman dropped several feet, shrieking the whole way. He was set gently to the ground before Tweek fell forward against Craig’s shoulder. He caught him, but he suddenly didn’t know what to do. He carefully checked the antenna that Cartman had been pulling on, and noticed it did appear to look darker, more irritated green than the other did. He moved his fingers carefully to the back of the boy’s head and felt a small bump that was probably going to form into a much larger one. He felt a swell of anger at that but pushed it down and ignored it for the moment.

He wasn’t sure if the alien was just asleep or if something was seriously wrong with him. “Tweek?” He asked loudly. He didn’t want to shake him, he was worried about hurting his head even more. “Tweek? Tweek, wake up.” The boy wasn’t responding at all, and Craig felt worried in a way he had only when his previous guinea pig had gotten sick. 

He racked his brains before he remembered his father showing him how to check his pulse. He hoped aliens had them in the same spots and placed his index and middle fingers together on the side of Tweek’s neck. He moved them around for a moment before he felt the tell tale beating of the pulse, and relief washed through him. He was alive, just unconscious. 

He looked up and locked eyes with Stan, who was his best bet. “Help me with him.” Craig said, trying his best to sound like he wasn’t pleading. Stan glanced at Kyle before rushing over to help. To his surprise, Kenny followed after the other boy and helped support Tweek’s head while they carried him. Kyle followed after them, ready to help out if they needed it. Cartman lay whimpering in the ground, but he would have to be a concern for later, because Craig’s top priority was the alien in his arms. 

Clyde caught up a moment after, clearly having seen the whole thing. “Dude, your sister is having a cow. What the hell was that, did you see that? Cartman was flying through the air and screaming like a baby. Was that because of-“ 

“Clyde, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I will seriously hurt you.” Craig said through his teeth, and the boy stopped instantly. He was grateful for that, he needed a moment to gather his thoughts. 

Tweek had helped him immediately, even though he had been running from him seconds before. Why was that? Why did it thrill him so much to know that Tweek - incredible, powerful, amazing Tweek, would come to his defense, even if he was pissed at him? Was it because it meant he was actually as excited about this friendship as Craig was? Did it mean he felt the same way Craig did? That the moment between them when they’d been talking had been real, that he didn’t ruin everything with his big mouth? Craig wasn’t normally affectionate, nor did he particularly care what most people thought of him, but he wanted to care about Tweek. 

He broke from his reverie as they approached his house. “Let’s set him on the couch.” He said to Stan, who nodded. They placed him down, Kyle fixing his legs and taking off his shoes while Craig hoisted him up carefully and put a pillow behind his head. “Get me water and an ice pack.” He said to no one in particular as he made sure Tweek was comfortably on the couch. He heard someone move to get what he’d requested. 

“What are you guys doing out of school right now?” He asked, again to no one in particular. 

“Gas leak at the school. We’ll all be out for a few days now.” Stan explained, and Craig rolled his eyes. 

“Fucking typical.” He muttered. Of course he got suspended and everyone else got to be out of school because of an accident. He expected no less. 

“You’re telling me, man. You’re lucky you were already home so you didn’t have to deal with it. I’m sorry Cartman got you suspended, though. That’s bullshit.” Stan admitted, looking uncomfortable. 

“Why didn’t you fucking stand up for him if you think it’s bullshit, dude?” Clyde asked, more hostile than he needed to be. Craig shot him a look. He was grateful for his friend, but they needed the other boys to help them get Tweek home. They couldn’t do it alone. 

Stan, for his part, looked ashamed. “I just...didn’t feel like fighting with Cartman about it.”

“That’s pretty lame.” Clyde countered sharply. 

Stan was starting to look annoyed. “You’ve seen how he gets, dude, I just didn’t want to deal with it. I’m not the one who said it was Craig, that was Butters.” 

Kyle returned at that moment with the water and ice pack, as well as a towel, handing them all to Craig, who set them down on their coffee table before kneeling in front of Tweek. He took the ice pack and wrapped it once in the towel, so it wouldn’t be too cold against his head. He slid his hand behind his head so it rested between the small bump and the pillow, placing the ice pack there and resting him gently back against it. He fiddled with the boys blonde hair for a moment, gently brushing it from his eyes before standing up. 

“He’s exhausted. He needs to sleep and then he needs food when he wakes up. We could really use all of your help with our plan to get him home.” Craig said to them before he started moving. 

“Where are you going?” Clyde asked. 

“To make him lunch.”

They all proceeded into the kitchen, where Craig grabbed what he needed to make mac and cheese while he explained to them how he’d met Tweek, how the boy was left behind, how he’d healed him and apparently had telekinesis of some kind too, and that they needed to help get him home. “Clyde was saying that maybe we could use the radio station to send out a message, but we don’t know enough about the place to come up with a good plan.” He finished. 

The others, with the exception of Clyde, who had heard all of this already, were gaping at him. “So...he’s not just some messed up homeschooler?” Kyle asked, completely stunned. 

Craig frowned at him, immediately irritated by his words. “No, he’s fucking not.” Kyle winced. 

“Chill, dude.” Stan said to him. “We’re all just trying to understand what’s going on.”

They heard knocking at the door, and Craig put down the box of Kraft he’d been reading to answer it. 

He opened it to see Cartman, looking wide eyed and particularly pathetic. He went to slam the door in his face, but the boy jammed his foot into the way and used the force of his weight to stop him. “Let me in or I will tell everyone that you’ve got an illegal alien here with magic powers.” 

Craig took a deep breath, already regretting what he had to do, before he opened the door and let him in. He knew he wasn’t lying about telling people about Tweek, he’d definitely be sold to the highest bidder if Cartman had it his way. He made his way back to the kitchen, leading the other boy past Tweek’s sleeping form. Cartman had the good sense to leave the boy alone, or Craig would have punched him again then and there. 

The other boys weren’t surprised to see Cartman - either that, or they didn’t show it. “Way to go picking a fight with a kid who has super powers, fat ass.” Kyle said without even looking up from the large yellow book he was flipping through. 

“Ey! He cheated! I could’ve kicked his ass if it was a fair fight!” Cartman snapped at him, clearly irritated. Craig flipped him off and returned to making food, trying to figure out how many boxes of mac and cheese he needed to feed one alien and five other people. He was NOT wasting his parents food trying to feed Cartman, who would inevitably just bitch about it anyway. 

“What are you doing, Kyle?” Stan asked him, finally noticing that he had a large book him his hands. 

Kyle had already made his way over to their telephone that was hanging on the wall in the kitchen and started dialing. He stood for a long moment, waiting, until: “Hi, I’m Kyle Broflofski, and I’m a student at South Park Elementary. I was hoping our class could get a tour of your radio station as part of a project we’re doing about jobs involving modern technology.” 

He was brilliant. Craig decided Kyle was his new favorite member of that group of friends. He gave him a thumbs up before returning to stirring. 

“Yeah, we’re free in the morning. When should we be there?” Kyle asked, chewing on the end of the pencil he was using. It flipped out of his hand when he was startled a moment later. “Five in the morning? What the fuck?” A couple of the other boys went to protest as well, but Craig nodded at Kyle and stared at him so intensely he sided with him. “No, no, that’s fine, we’ll be there. Uh-huh, thanks, bye.” He hung up. 

“Screw you, Craig, I am not getting up at 5 AM.” Cartman said immediately. 

“Good, I don’t want you there.” Craig replied honestly. 

“We should have a sleepover at my house!” Clyde declared, and the other boys agreed. 

They continued planning while Craig finished the macaroni, dishing it out for everyone but Cartman. He took a bowl for himself and the largest bowl for Tweek and carefully carried them into the living room, where he set them down on the coffee table. He sat on the floor in the space between the couch and table, slowly eating while watching Tweek sleep. He made a face when he took the first bite - he’d put too much milk in it and now it didn’t taste cheesy. He hated that. 

As he reached the end of his bowl, Tweek started twitching, steadily harder. Craig felt panic starting to rise again - what if this was some kind of seizure? - when Tweek shot up into a sitting position, screaming. Craig was by his side in an instant, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes and murmuring quietly to him that to bring him back to reality. “It’s okay, you’re safe, you’re with me, I’m so sorry, you’re okay, breathe, dude, breathe!” 

Tweek let Craig play with his hair as he breathed and calmed down. After a while, he seemed to return to himself, but he was fixated with something on Craig’s face. “What’s up?” He asked him. 

He didn’t initially reply, just continued staring at him, his forehead scrunched up, before finally reaching out a hand and touching Craig’s cheek. He was surprised when he jerked back - not because it was unwelcome, but because of pain. He’d forgotten all about his shiner. “You’re hurt.” Tweek whispered, pulling his hand back slowly. 

Craig shook his head. “I’m fine. Are you okay?” 

Tweek frowned, ignoring his question. “That stupid motherfucker hurt you.” 

Craig wasn’t sure whether to laugh or hide. He hadn’t heard Tweek be aggressive before, and it was kind of funny and also entirely terrifying at the same time. He wasn’t stuttering or shaking, his energy was almost predatory. He closed his eyes, and there was suddenly screaming from the other room. Craig watched, awestruck, as Cartman was dragged into the room by his left ankle, and he was knocking into every piece of furniture along the way. He ended up lifted into the air, still by his ankle, thrashing and spitting at Tweek but unable to touch him. Craig was faintly aware of the others gathering together to watch from the doorway, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about them with hat was happening before him. 

“Ey! Put me down!” Cartman demanded, his voice shrill. 

“You hurt my Craig.” Tweek said, his tone low and dangerous. Craig felt himself blush so hard his ears burned. 

“He started it! He’s just pissed I got him suspended!” The boy swinging through the air insisted. 

Everything in the room started shaking, and that was when Craig realized exactly how angry Tweek had become. It wasn’t from an earthquake, it was from the anger rolling off of Tweek. Tricia came running downstairs, looking horrified. “Are we having an earthqu - what the fuck is going on right now?” Great. 

“You’re the reason he was suspended?” Tweek said through his teeth. 

“Yeah, it was totally badass. Not like sneaky telekinesis weirdos who DANGLE PEOPLE IN THE AIR! Ey! Put me down!” He screamed at the alien boy. Craig couldn’t believe how stupid he was. 

He went from kicking and screaming in the air to dropped hard on the ground in an instant. “Ey! What the fuck?!” He shouted. 

“You’re the reason Craig was suspended. You’re the reason he ran away. You’re the reason his father went looking for him and talked to my father. You’re the reason my parents forgot me here.” Tweek was shaking now, but it was from anger, not anxiety. Craig felt his insides twist at being to blame for Tweek’s situation - he hadn’t necessarily thought of it that way, and he hadn’t thought Tweek did either until now. He shoved his feelings down and yanked on his hat. 

“Ey! It’s not my fault your parents forgot your stupid ass here! That’s your fault for being so forgettable! They probably did it on purpose!” Cartman howled at him from the floor. 

Craig didn’t even give Tweek an opportunity to react to what Cartman said, he just stood, placed a foot on the coffee table, and launched himself at the the boy floating through the air. They crashed into the wall and landed on the floor in a heap. He lost his hat somehow in the scuffle. Cartman grabbed his hair and yanked hard on it. He yelped and punched at his shoulder, attempting to free himself. Clyde, Stan, and Kyle intervened almost immediately, pulling them off of each other. “That’s more than enough of that.” Kyle muttered as he dragged Cartman away. 

“Way to have a cow, Craig.” Tricia said dryly from where she was hiding on the stairs. He flipped her off. 

“I really haven’t seen you run after someone before.” Clyde pointed out to him, quietly so only he could hear. He paused at that, but let it slide. He wasn’t really sure what to say to that. 

Craig didn’t dwell on his own emotions too often, if only because he had trouble processing them. He needed lots of time late at night to dwell without interruption to work through them and figure out why he felt the way he did and what he should do about them, if he’d do anything at all. He wasn’t sure what it was about Tweek that made him care so much more openly, but he didn’t think it meant anything. He cared about his friends and family, too, whether he showed it or not. It wasn’t any different with the alien boy. 

He yanked his arm out of Clyde’s grip and moved to sit by Tweek’s knees where he was still half lying on the couch. Tweek slowly reached up toward Craig, cradling the hurt side of his face carefully. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, and Craig was felt the telltale stinging pain of his powers working, fixing his bruised eye and the bump forming on the back of his head. 

Craig grinned at him as he pulled his hand away. “Thanks, dude.” 

“Holy shit.” He heard Kyle and Stan say in the same shocked tone. He’d kind of forgotten they were there. 

Kyle strode over and studied his face. “You guys really aren’t making this shit up.” 

“So fucking cool.” Clyde whispered, giddy. 

“What the fuck? Why does Tucker get a psycho healing alien? I want one!” Cartman complained loudly. Kenny snorted loudly when he said “psycho” instead of “psychic.” With that Craig knew it was time to kick everyone out. They had a plan, now he needed to figure out how to explain Tweek to his family. 

“Meet us at Clyde’s house at eight tonight. Bring snacks and gear.” He said, without looking over at them. 

“Did he just tell us to leave?” He heard Kenny ask in his muffled voice. 

“Everyone except Clyde.” He elaborated, still not paying attention to anyone except the alien. 

He heard grumbling as the other boys grabbed their backpacks and dragged Cartman out of the house. The front door slammed shut and quiet fell over them for a long moment. “Dude, your life is so fucking crazy.” Clyde said finally, and Craig laughed loudly. 

“Tell me about it.” He agreed. He grabbed the full bowl of mac and cheese and fork from the coffee table and handed them to Tweek. “I would have made you coffee, too, but I don’t know how.” He apologized. 

Tweek smiles at him. “I’ll teach you later.” He took a large bite of the macaroni, then made a face. 

“How is it?” Craig asked.

“Fucking horrible. How much milk did you put in this?” Tweek asked. 

Craig laughed loudly and flipped him off. “Fuck you, dude.” Tweek returned the gesture, which made him laugh more. He kept eating it anyway. 

“How did you heal his face?” Clyde asked Tweek, whose eyes widened in surprise. 

“A-aah! I-I don’t know, man! I just know if I focus on wanting to - argh! - heal someone, I can.” He explained, suddenly nervous and shaking. 

Craig noticed this immediately and adjusted the way he was sitting so he could play with Tweek’s hair. The alien twitched initially, then relaxed, leaning into his touch. “I think it’s insanely cool, dude. I wish I could do things like that.” Clyde said to Tweek, who shrieked in response. 

Craig smiled at him before looking over at his best friend. “Thank you for having the sleepover tonight. It makes explaining all this to my parents that much easier.”

“Of course, dude. You’d do the same thing for me.” Clyde replied easily, dropping into Craig’s dad's chair and sinking deep into it. Tweek laughed at him, placing his now empty bowl back on the coffee table. 

“So...what are you, exactly?” Tricia asked him. He looked over at Craig, who nodded. 

“I...well, I don’t know what species I am, or what planet I’m from, but I’m what you would call an alien.” Tweek said to her, nervous. Craig was a bit nervous as well, but he trusted that his sister was cool enough to handle this. 

She tilted her head to one side, staring at the pair of them. Then she shrugged. “That’s neat.” He expected her to be calm about it, but he was still glad to know that his sister was cool. He looked over at his best friend and hoped he hadn’t been too freaked out by what he’d seen Tweek do to agree to Craig’s plan. 

“I need to know he’s going to have somewhere safe to spend the night after tomorrow, too. We’re going to try to send out that message to his parents, but it's still going to take time for them to show up. If my parents won’t let him stay here, can he crash at your place?” He asked, and Clyde was nodding before he was even finished speaking. He owed him big time. 

Tweek screamed, and Craig immediately resumed playing with his hair. “W-what if they show up in the middle of the night and take me away and I - ahhhh! - can’t say goodbye to you?” He asked. Craig felt the urge to say something embarrassing about how they’d find each other again, but shoved it down. Tweek was just being nice, he definitely blamed Craig for being left behind, he’d said as much earlier. 

“You two are so sweet.” Tricia commented from where she was sitting on the stairs. Both boys jumped, Craig flipped Tricia off, and she returned the gesture with both hands. 

“Why don’t you ever play with my hair, Craig?” Clyde pouted, crossing his arms. 

“It’s a grease trap.” Craig informed him. 

He stuck his tongue out in response. “Well what does Tweek’s hair feel like then?” 

Craig dragged his fingers through his curly blonde hair. It was a little frizzy, and it stuck up at weird angles, but still - “Soft.” He declared. 

“So how are you going to explain him to Mom and Dad?” Tricia asked suddenly, and the warm feeling Craig had been experiencing deflated. He shook his head and shrugged. He had no idea what to say to them. “Well, that fucking sucks, because Mom and Dad are both home now.” 

“What?!” Craig and Tweek both screamed, and a second later it was confirmed that she was correct as Laura and Thomas Tucker strode through the door. Craig looked at the clock - it wasn’t even one in the afternoon yet, how were they home? It took them a moment to take in the room and realize what was going on in their living room: Tricia, still perched on the stairs, Clyde, in Thomas’s chair, and Craig, with his hand in Tweek’s hair. He could feel them staring at him, but he couldn’t seem to move, and neither could Tweek. 

“...Hi, kids. What’s going on here?” His mother finally asked. 

He could feel Tweek shaking beneath his hand, but he didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t anticipated them walking through the door at that exact moment, he needed time to prepare. “We’re just vegging, Mrs. T.” Clyde finally jumped in. Craig was going to treat him to as much pizza as he could eat the next time they were at Whistling Willie’s. 

“Who’s this?” She asked, looking directly at Tweek. 

“What are you doing home?” Craig answered her question with a question. 

“They sent all the parents of South Park children home because of the gas leak at the school.” She explained, her gaze going between both boys now. 

His father was staring at him, too, obviously bewildered. “Didn’t I meet you in the woods late last night?” He asked. 

Craig didn’t know what to say. Did he try to convince his Dad that he was crazy, or did he make up a story? What could he say that would make sense that wasn’t the truth? Why hadn’t he moved his hand from Tweek’s hair yet?

“Yes!” Tweek blurted out, and Craig froze. What was he doing?

His father was looking at the curiously now. “I thought I recognized you. How did you end up here?” 

Tweek swallowed nervously. Craig had no idea what was about to happen. “After we spoke, I realized my father had - ahhhh! - left me behind. I couldn’t find him anywhere, but I did find your son, and he offered to help me g-get home.” Oh shit, he went with the truth. Craig finally managed to drag his hand from Tweek’s hair, though he immediately 

His parents seemed surprised. “Craig is helping you get home?” His mother asked. Tweek nodded. “That’s...rather unlike him.” 

“Hey!” Craig retorted. He wasn’t a total asshole, was he? 

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but you’re not known for your generosity.” His mother continued, and Tricia laughed loudly and wildly at him. “Oh, you’re no saint either, sweetie, there’s no reason to laugh at your brother.” Tricia looked so offended Craig wanted to high five his mom for such a sick burn. 

“He’s been taking good care of me, ma’am.” Tweek said, and he looked so sincere Craig almost believed he hadn’t screwed up his life. 

His mom smiled at Tweek. “I’m glad to hear that. He’s a good boy.” His dad was still looking a Tweek strangely, but he didn’t say anything. “I’m going to make dinner if you boys are hungry.” She said before moving towards the kitchen. 

“Would you like help?” Tweek offered, and she turned around and beamed at him. 

“That would be amazing. Will you be joining us, Craig, Clyde?” She asked. 

He glanced at Tweek, who actually looked excited, and nodded. “Sure, Mrs. T.” Clyde agreed as well, stretching and yawning before leading the way. 

He stood to follow them when he noticed Tricia had a mischievous look on her face. “Be sure to ask him where your Elton John records are, Mom.” 

He froze, but his mother didn’t look upset, so he continued to follow her. “It’s okay. I figured you had it all along.” She winked at him. 

“Why did you talk to her about it then?” He asked, confused by her logic. 

“She destroyed my favorite tube of lipstick trying to use it on a teddy bear. She needed the talk more than you did.” She explained, and Craig snorted. He caught Tweek’s eye and noticed the boy was smiling at them. He returned the look, glad to see he was relaxed. “So I talked to your school this morning.” His mom said, and suddenly his good mood was deflated. 

“What did they say?” He asked. 

“Well, you’re not suspended as of tomorrow, not that it matters with the school closed.” She rolled her eyes. 

He was surprised. He really wasn’t suspended? “How?”

“I talked some sense into them.” She said proudly. His father let out a loud bark of laughter from the other room, and she deflated. “I yelled at them until they gave in.” She admitted. 

Tweek and Clyde both laughed loudly at that. “I can totally imagine that, Mrs. T. You’re so fucking badass.” 

“Language. But thank you, Clyde.” She winked at him. 

“Your willingness to stand up for Craig is admirable.” Tweek said to her. Craig grinned proudly at her. His mom was the best. Now would actually be a good time to ask her about their plan...

“Mom? Is it okay if we stay at Clyde’s house tonight?” Craig asked, trying not to think about what he’d have to do if she said no. 

She stared at them for a moment. “You’re supposed to be grounded.” He didn’t respond, just met her gaze. “And your dad was going to help you with fractions tonight.” He felt his heart sink, he’d forgotten all about that. She watched him go through several emotions before he shrugged. “I don’t see why not.” Clyde cheered loudly, and Craig rejoiced internally. This plan might actually work. 

“So, Tweek, do you go to school here in South Park?” She asked as she began gathering what she needed for dinner. Of course, luck couldn’t stay in their favor. Why did his parents have to try and make conversation? Why couldn’t they just sit in silence? 

Tweek’s eyes got huge, and Craig realized he was panicking. He needed to do something, and fast. He thought of something Kyle had said earlier that could work. “He’s homeschooled!” He blurted out. He didn’t think it was technically a lie. 

“Oh? That’s interesting.” She replied, placing a pot of water on the stove before moving to bread chicken. “What are you learning about right now?” She asked. He had to stop himself from groaning outwardly. 

Tweek twitched hard, and Craig wanted to reach out and console him, so he forced himself to move across the kitchen and peel potatoes. His parents had stared hard at him when he’d been touching Tweek’s hair before, and he knew Clyde thought the way he interacted with Tweek was strange, too. It frustrated him that this was how things were, but he didn’t know what to do about it. He didn’t get why people thought it was so weird for him to care about someone. He knew he wasn’t very outwardly expressive, but he thought his family and friends understood him better than that. 

“You are really spaced out, Craig.” He winced out of his thoughts and turned to look at his mom. “I asked if you’d put on some music while we’re cooking. Get my portable turntable and pick something good.” She said. 

He nodded and put the potato peeler down and turned to leave the room. He jogged up the stairs towards his parents room, and he could hear someone behind him. He turned to see Tweek close behind him. “What’s up?” Craig asked him. 

He didn’t answer initially, following Craig into his parents room and looking through their records together. “Are you okay?” He eventually asked. Craig raised an eyebrow at him. “You’ve been acting weird since before your parents got home.” 

Craig decided to be honest with him. He couldn’t keep torturing himself. “Do you blame me for being left here?” He asked bluntly. 

“No!” Tweek shrieked right away. “Why would you - ahhh! - think that?”

Craig picked at where the record opened, running the cardboard edges against his fingers. “What you said to Cartman earlier. About being the reason I got suspended, so my dad talked to your dad…” 

Tweek was shaking his head vigorously as Craig spoke. “No. No. None of that is your fault. That guy just - ahhhh! - pissed me off. I didn’t mean to make it sound like I blame you. You’ve done nothing but help me.” 

Craig nodded, though he didn’t fully believe it. It was hard for him to unsee the logic of something once he’d discovered it. Tweek reached up and tugged on one of the tassels on his hat. He looked down at the alien, who seemed to have realized that he didn’t believe him. He was scrutinizing Craig so much he had to do something to break his gaze. He poked his nose before turning to the records, finally deciding on one of his favorites. 

He moved to leave the room but found the alien boy waiting for him. His arms wrapped tight around his waist and he buried his head against his chest. Craig blushed, a feeling he was unused to and hated, but seemed to just be a thing that happened to him around Tweek. He wasn’t sure what to do with his hands, holding the record out awkwardly to one side. He finally placed his hand on Tweek’s back. 

“I’m glad it happened. I wouldn’t have met you otherwise.” Tweek whispered, and Craig felt his ears and cheeks burning at his words. He agreed with that completely. He dropped the record to hug him back. 

“Dude! Is your Rubik’s Cube up there?” 

Craig leapt back from Tweek and stared at the door, but Clyde was yelling up the stairs. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked back over at Tweek, who was giving him the strangest look. He reached out and touched his finger to the tip of his nose again before grabbing the record from the floor and the portable turntable from the dresser and darted into his room. He grabbed his mom's record from the turntable and put it back in its sleeve, then grabbed his Rubik’s Cube for Clyde and put it in his pocket. Then he scooped up Stripe and cradled him with one hand against his chest. He found Tweek back out in the hallway and gently placed the guinea pig in his waiting hands. They shared a smile before making their way downstairs. 

“Thanks, man.” Clyde said when he placed the cube down in front of him. He immediately started fiddling with it, attempting to get all the reds together. Tweek sat down beside him, petting Stripe carefully. 

Craig placed the turntable of one of the counters and put on the record he’d chosen. “Excellent choice, sweetie.” His mom praised as Fleetwood Mac filled the room. He smiled at her approval and moved to continue helping her with dinner. He rinsed the potatoes he’d peeled and began cutting them. 

“I can't believe you still haul this old this around. You guys need to get into tapes.” Clyde said, and his mom laughed. 

“We would, but I don’t like the quality of them as much.” She explained. She and Clyde continued talking, but Craig didn’t pay attention to what they were saying, instead watching Tweek. He was gently bobbing his head to the beat, Stripe cuddled up in his arms. He looked both present and far away at the same time. He was swaying to the beat in such a hypnotic way Craig couldn’t take his eyes off of him. 

He was so distracted he forgot to pay attention to what he was cutting. 

“Fuck!” He shouted after he brought the knife down along the top of his fingers. He could hear people asking him questions, but he wasn’t really paying attention to them. He looked at the cut running across his fingers. It was a light graze, thankfully he hadn’t been putting pressure on the knife as he was cutting. He cradled his hand close to his chest and ran for the bathroom. He ran water over it, letting out a gasp at the sting. 

“Craig!” He heard Tweek cry out as he burst through the door. 

The alien took his hand into his own and looked at the cut for only a moment before deciding to heal it. “Wait.” He said, and Tweek looked up at him. “It’s not that bad, I don’t want you to use all your energy healing me.” Craig explained. 

Tweek made a face at that. “Stop it.” He said, taking Craig’s hand back into his own. 

“I said it’s okay.” Craig argued, pulling his hand back. 

Tweek caught it gently. “Don’t be like that.” 

“I’m not. It’s just not that bad, it can heal naturally.” He explained, pulling his hand back again. 

“I’m sorry,” Tweek said as he caught it between his, and Craig could feel the telltale sting of it healing, “I can’t allow you to walk around hurt knowing I could fix it.” 

Craig yanked his hand away, but he wasn’t actually mad at the other boy. “Does it actually drain your energy to do that?” He asked, and the other boy nodded. “Then don’t. Not unless it’s an emergency, okay?”

The alien boy grinned at him. “If you weren’t so prone to hurting yourself, you wouldn’t need my powers at all.” 

Craig rolled his eyes. “Whatever, dude. I still have to put bandages on, my mom is not going to accept you just fixed my hand.” 

Tweek helped him clean up his hand and put bandaids on them before they went back into the kitchen. Craig’s mom had finished the potatoes for him, and everything was simmering on the stove. The boys sat around, each taking turns with the Rubik’s Cube to limited success. Tweek managed to make a beautiful pattern on each side, but couldn’t get all the colors to line up. He was still dancing to Fleetwood Mac, nodding his head to the beat and occasionally humming. Craig couldn’t help but find it endearing. 

Eventually, it was time for dinner. Clyde went home to eat with his dad and prepare him for the houseful of boys he was going to have. He and his mother had made roast chicken with mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, and stuffing. Tweek stared at it for only a moment before digging in. “This is way better than your Mac and cheese, dude.” He grinned cheekily, and Craig lightly kicked his shin under the table. 

His sister was still a brat, and his dad still looked at him and Tweek funny, but otherwise, it went well. After, he and Tweek helped his sister with the dishes, which had almost turned into a soap and water fight between the two siblings until their father intervened, reminding them of how easily they could be Craig and Tricia Stotch. Finally, it was time for them to head over to Clyde’s house. Craig grabbed extra sets of clothes for himself as well as Tweek, and then they marched outside to the house next door. “Don’t have too much fun, you’re supposed to be grounded!” His dad called after him, and he snickered at that, flipping his parents off. They returned the gesture with a chorused, “Love you!” 

Cartman, Kenny, Kyle, and Stan were all waiting for them on Clyde’s front steps. “Sup, losers.” Stan called. Cartman was glaring at them, but didn’t say anything. They proceeded to pile into the living room with sleeping bags. 

“How’s it going, boys?” Mr. Donovan asked them. They all greeted him, Kyle thanking him for letting them invade the house for the night. Clyde rolled his eyes at Craig, who snickered. 

“Who’s this?” Mr. Donovan asked, realizing Tweek wasn’t one of the boys regularly around his house. 

The alien held out his hand, shaking slightly. “I’m Tweek. I’m homeschooled.” 

Craig couldn’t hold back the roar of laughter that burst from him. Mr. Donovan looked startled before shooting Tweek a, “Nice to meet you, kid.” He got out of the room as fast as he could after that. 

Clyde smacked Craig’s back a couple of times. “Dude, the fuck?” 

Craig finally caught his breath. “The sincere way he said, ‘I’m homeschooled,’ I don’t know dude, it got me.” 

“That was pretty great.” Clyde agreed. 

“I-I wasn’t trying to be!” Tweek insisted. 

Craig mussed his hair. “That’s the best part. You’re funny, dude.” Tweek grinned at him. 

“Are we going to watch television or are we just watching the fuckwits all night?” Cartman asked loudly. 

Craig flipped him off, but they moved towards the living room and sat down. Clyde turned a knob on the television and continued messing with the knobs for a moment. “Magnum P.I. or Fame?” He asked. 

Craig made a face. “Can’t we play a board game or something? Don’t you have Oregon Trail?” 

“Yeah, Cartman always dies of dysentery or some shit. We should definitely play that.” Kyle jumped in. 

“Ey! Fuck you, you stupid Jew!” The fat boy yelled. Craig noticed the look Tweek was giving him and touched his arm. 

“Don’t worry about standing up for Kyle. He can handle Cartman all on his own.” Craig swore to him. 

Tweek raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t do anything, just continued watching the other boys. Sure enough, Kyle faked Cartman out with a fist bump and he fell onto his face from the couch. Craig was leaning on Tweek for support, laughing heartily as he struggled to stay up. “Screw you guys, I’m going home.” Cartman said. 

“Please do, dumbass.” Tweek told him, and the offended look on the other boy’s face made Craig start a new round of laughter. Tweek grinned proudly up at him. 

“So fucking rude.” Cartman muttered. 

They stayed awake for a while, attempting to get from the east coast to Oregon without peril. They didn’t succeed, but they had a good time anyway. Craig had a hard time paying attention the entire time, instead focused on Tweek. He’d felt disconnected and miserable before he met the alien, and in a day the alien had completely changed his attitude. He wasn’t sure how they would stay in contact after they returned him to his parents, but they’d find a way. And speaking of the alien boys parents…

It bothered Craig that Tweek didn’t seem to know much about himself. He didn’t know what species he was or what planet he was from, and it didn’t sound like he got to leave the spaceship. He hated thinking that he was returning Tweek to a life of just working in a back room and never having friends or fun. It made him worried that when he put him on that spaceship, it would be the last time he’d see him. 

“Are you feeling alright, man? You haven’t been paying much attention to - argh! - anything all night.” Tweek asked him when the two boys were brushing their teeth. 

Craig shrugged. He didn’t know how to talk about any of this with Tweek. What was he supposed to say? ‘Hey, I know we only met sixteen hours ago, but I have strong opinions about the way I think you were raised, and I have strong feelings about you, so will you stay with me forever?’ If that didn’t scare him off immediately Craig didn’t know what would. Better to keep all of his emotions shoved as far down as possible, where they couldn’t bother or hurt him. 

“I’m just tired.” Is what he ended up going with. Tweek frowned at him, clearly not buying it, but he didn’t press the matter further. 

The other boys had spread their sleeping bags out between the television set and the couch. Craig dragged the sleeping bags he’d brought for himself and Tweek to the back side of the couch, where there was more room and less Cartman. Clyde moved his so he was between the couch and the other boys, able to talk with everyone if he wanted, though he fell asleep as soon as his head touched his pillow. The other boys were talking in the darkness of the living room and arguing amongst themselves, paying the others no mind, which was just as well as far as Craig was concerned. Craig handed Tweek a pillow and they settled down for the evening. He could tell the other boy was shaking, but he wasn’t sure why. “What’s up?” He asked quietly. 

He jerked back in surprise. “N-nothing!” 

“Wow, you’re a horrible liar.” Craig said dryly. 

“What? No! I’m - ahhhh! - fine!” Tweek insisted earnestly. 

“You don’t have to tell me.” He assured him, adjusting so he didn’t feel completely trapped by his sleeping bag. He didn’t know why he hated them so much, he just had for as long as he could remember. 

“I'm not very good at sleeping. I’m probably going to spend most of the night awake, even without all the caffeine I usually drink.” Tweek explained to him. 

Craig frowned. Why did his parents let him drink so much coffee when it was hard enough for him to sleep anyway? Did aliens not have doctors who advised against this? Has he ever even been to a doctor? He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. He was suddenly far more stressed than he wanted to be. 

“Craig?” Tweek asked quietly. He lifted his hands to look at him. “Why are you upset?” 

His frown deepened. “I’m not.” The alien stared at him in disbelief. “I’m overthinking. Don’t worry about it.” He muttered, dragging his arm over his eyes. 

He heard Tweek shuffle around a bit. “I...I do that, too. Whatever it is, try not to let it bother you, man.” He said. 

Craig wasn’t sure how to respond to that. His knee jerk response to being asked if he was upset was a shrug or a go fuck yourself, but he didn’t want to respond to Tweek with either of those. The alien didn’t piss him off, he didn’t deserve Craig’s coldest treatments the way other people did. 

“Do you miss your parents?” Craig found himself asking. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he could take them back. Why the fuck did he ask that? He wanted to pull his hat down over his face but he restrained himself, keeping his forearm plane red firmly over his eyes. 

Tweek seemed equally caught off guard by the question, blinking his huge green eyes quickly before settling. He mulled over the question for only a moment before replying with a simple and certain, “Of course I do,” and that was all Craig needed to hear. 

“I’ll get you home, I promise.” Craig said quietly to him. It didn’t matter how he felt about it, this was about Tweek and what was right for him. 

Neither spoke for so long he thought the alien had fallen asleep until he asked, “Why do you like space so much?”

Craig didn’t even have to think about his answer. “I’d give anything to float along the stars and see what the look like from up there. From here, it’s a map that can guide you around if you know how to use it, but from out there, with no gravity, no lights to interfere or people to ruin it...I bet it’s better than I can imagine.” 

“Tell me about the stars.” 

“Don’t you know all about them?” Craig asked, a small grin on his face. 

“I want to hear you explain them.” Tweek explained, and Craig happily obliged. He talked excitedly, for far longer than he intended. He loved discussing space, it was the thing he knew the most about. He continued on, late into the night. At some point, he started to drift in and out, mumbling sounds more so than words. He felt his hat being pushed back off of his head and felt fingers working their way through his hair, and that set him off to sleep with a small smile on his face. 

————————————————————————

“Unit C-027, what is your status?” The question came in over a radio com device inside the back of a van full of surveillance gear. It was being monitored by a man eating a sandwich. He rolled his eyes and finished chewing before he picked up the walkie to respond. 

“Still observing them, sir, but they don’t appear to be doing anything. They’re just...having a sleepover. Are you sure there’s suspicious activity here?” 

“Keep watching, C-027, there’s more at work here than meets the eye. One of those kids isn’t what they say they are, and we need to catch them here. Over and out.” He was assured before he continued watching the surveillance cameras. He hoped something weird would happen soon, he wanted to go home already. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his eyes. This was going to be a long ass night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you to everyone for reading! I’ve been working on this chapter for ages trying to get it to a point where I like it. I’m going to update again as soon as I can, but I work in retail and it’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, so it might be longer than I usually take. This has still been relaxing for me though, so I hope it won’t be long.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is my first fic ever, I just had this idea nagging at me and wanted to try writing it down. I’ll try and update as much as I can. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> -Galetron


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